New hip at 90...?

My mother had a hip replacement at 83. She had no choice because she fell and broke her hip! She recovered very well from it, despite having mid-stage dementia.

However, she was living in a care home who very conscientiously did the daily rehab with her, and were able to get her to progress from using a wheelchair and rollator to walking unassisted within a month.

It is very unlikely your mother would have that level of care in her own home, so if she does go ahead I would (if possible) book her into a care home who can take care of her and rehab her for a fortnight.

My grandfather had a hip replacement done at 95 after a fall. Not having it would have left him immobile. He recovered fine and lived fairly mobile for another 5 years.
If she is generally healthy then I would take what is being offered. They wouldn’t offer they thought it was a bad ideas.

The aunt of a friend had hers replaced when she was 102, this was on the NHS not private - she was in really good health and they figured correctly that she was ok for recovery.
Conversely another woman I know had hers replaced in her early 70s and never walked properly again - it's not about age, it's about that specific person.

If the experts have recommended it, they must be pretty confident that she will benefit from it.

They wouldn't have suggested it if it was more dangerous than beneficial. As you say she's in good enough health otherwise.

It will of course be a good thing for her. She needs to do her physio so if you want to be supportive you could help her with that.

Of course there's risks but they are balanced with positives. The surgeon wouldn't operate on someone that medically was too frail.

MiL had a second one done in her mid eighties, her first one having been done in her sixties, which was perfect. The second one was a disaster. She never really healed and spent her last couple of years with sores, swelling, and bandages on her legs, in awful pain.

My FiL had hip replacement surgery in his late 80’s. The op was awful, all sorts of complications. It took him nearly a year to fully recover, BUT, the pain he had been living with for years vanished instantly, and he’s now back to being able to walk several miles a day, play bowls and golf again. So, for him, it was really worth it

My DiL's grandma had a hip replacement at 91 last year. She recovered well and is fine.

My grandma had a new hip after a fall at the same age. She’s doing brilliantly.

My great aunt had this at a slightly younger age and regretted it, as it didn't bring the results she wanted. To be honest she declined since having it. Obviously this is only one story though, and the only person I know to have had one around that age.

If she's in pain, it's probably a good idea.
But the op is only part if the process..... will she put in the work, do the physio and all her exercises? If not, then don't bother with surgery.
She'll also need some tough love from the family..... no fetching and carrying, no waiting on her, because she'll be told to get moving ASAP!
If there are potential anaesthetic issues, they will be picked up at a pre-op assessment.

I used to work in a nursing home and the hip replacements we saw in patients were often results of emergencies rather than routine (following falls). And few had good outcomes. If she has pain in other joints other than her hips, I would question the value of such a risk.

My grandma just had her hip replaced, she’s 90 this year. She’s similar to your mum in that she is in otherwise good health / no cognitive concerns. She had it just after Christmas and went into a home for 3 weeks after. She’s back at home now and back to her usual self. She said since the operation she has been in no pain at all. I did wonder if it would be the end of her but she has a complete new lease of life

My very fit 84 year old MIL had a fall and had an emergency hip replacement. The operation went well, she was home in 3 days. It really knocked her confidence, she needed help with stairs and relied on a walking stick for months, even though she was past needing it. It was hard seeing her struggle and sitting down for long periods, when before we couldn’t get her to ease up.

Depends on her fraility score and general health.

I would.do my own research and want a compelling reason / to feel assured of a good outcome.

Caveat: I am once bitten twice shy dont take surgeons at face value
i had cardiac surgery thst was "simple" and "routine," that lost me a year of my life most of my hair and 3 surgeries in i am "sicker," than I was presurgery.

My neighbour had a knee replacement (so slightly different) aged 91, originally epidural but had to convert to a GA. Following the surgery she never got back on her feet as well as she did before the pain has not gone because she has different pain and swelling due in part to immobility. Its a viscous circle but even with physio has not progressed much. Thats not to say thats what will happen to your dm but your mum needs to know the statistics for her age group and the potential worst case scenarios.

My mum had one at 85 after a fall and being on the floor for 2.5 days before I found her. So she was in a terrible condition when she had the surgery. The first few days were touch and go because of this. But she recovered and got back to walking independently (and still doesn’t need a stick or walker at 90).

She is in good health and could live another 10 years. Hip replacement are often done under an epidural and patients in their 90s tend to have good outcomes particularly if they are in good health to begin with. Age alone should never be a barrier to surgery that would drastically improve quality of life.

My dm had a hip replacement in her later 80s with epidural rather than anaesthetic because of risks. She did recover well. Could that be an option?

The queen mum had one at 95!

If the anaesthetist is happy and she is in such severe discomfort she wants to go ahead and is prepared for the recovery, I would also be happy.

That seems insane to me would she even survive the surgery and anesthetic. Surgery puts a massive strain on the body