Hip fracture

[minmooch]

Dad is 76 with vascular dementia living in a care home. He fell and broke his hip yesterday. He is due an op to replace hip either today or tomorrow.

Prior to fall he was fairly mobile, walked unaided, could go up and down stairs etc. Very aggressive. He does know who my brother and I are but has no recollection of our mum, who passed away 5 years ago, to whom he was married to for 50 years.

I understand the complications that can arise from this are more to do with dementia than physical and believe that it often leads to a rapid decline/death.

Dad was unhappy and aggressive before this fall. I can't imagine how he will be after the op.

I suppose I'm looking for shared experiences so I'm prepared for anything.

My dad also living in a care home has mixed dementia. He was 85 in June 2018. He got around well though he did use a walking stick. One night he got up to go to the toilet snd fell and broke his hip. He had surgery within 12 hours and was in hospital for 3 weeks. His dementia seemed much worse in that time. Doctors said this was actually confusion caused by the general anaesthetic rather than his dementia getting worse. It was a horrible time. He went back to his carehome with limited mobility and now had to use a walking frame. Two months later he had another fall and broke the other hip. Once again he spent 3/4 weeks in hospital VERY confused. He was discharged in mid October. In hospital they had worked at getting him standing using a Sara Stedy it did take three staff. I knew that his care home would not have the available staff to continue any physiotherapy but I was not listened to. Consequently my dad went back to his carehome and was completely bed bound until January of this year when he finally had an assessment. He was given a reclining armchair. He could not stand at all and had to be hoisted from bed to chair. This also meant of course that he needed incontinence pads as he could not be taken to the toilet.( I am trying to keep this short but honestly there is so much wrong with the system.) The physiotherapist who saw him briefly said his lack of mobility was cognitive not physical ie he has forgotten how to walk due to dementia however I believe if he had had properly supported rehabilitation he may have had a chance to regain some mobility.
Anyway. Here we are 18 months after first fall. My dad is completely dependent now. He is nearly 87. He is frail (he has lost 3 stone in the last year). He survived the two operations. It took about 2 months for the confusion caused by General anaesthetic to lessen. He has good days and bad days as is usual for dementia.
My advice is following surgery make sure you are involved in any decisions being made (hope you have health POA! ) because I was not told of the meeting where it was decided he would leave hospital and go straight back to carehome. He should have gone to a rehabilitation unit. Also be aware that equipment such as wheelchairs are not an automatic right! In our area there is a nine month waiting list for a wheelchair assessment. (my dad can't sit in a normal wheelchair as his lower body seems to have become fixed in a reclining position - he needs a tilt in space one which are hugely expensive). In the end I have got support from a charity. If the last stage of panel review goes through he will have a wheelchair in January which will mean that 15 months after discharge from hospital he will finally get to leave his room. Believe me, I have condensed this post but there is do much more I could say on the whole experience!

Thank you @Magissa for your reply.

Yes my brother and I have POA - been in place for 5 years.

I am more horrified at the thought that this could lead to years of even more non-life for him. He would hate to know this is how his life has turned out.

I suppose it's a waiting game of seeing how he copes with it all.

I agree it is a waiting game. Another lady in my dad's carehome recently fell and fractured her hip. She came out of hospital very confused but still able to walk. Three months later her confusion has lessened but she is not as she was. Being in hospital and having an operation is likely to impact on your dad but but he will benefit from having lots of visits from you and your brother. My dad was always much calmer when I was with him. I hope everything goes well for your dad. Remember to look after yourself too.

I think I'm at the limit of what I can cope with. My son died nearly 6 years ago from cancer and the cubicle in A&E we were sitting in last night was the same cubicle that I took my son to on his final visit to hospital. My mum died the following year, my dad diagnosed with dementia the year after.

I'm so very tired.

But it is what it is and you just have to carry on.

My dad (advanced dementia) broke his hip and initially we were told he probably wouldn't survive the op. Anyway he did but his mobility was drastically reduced, he couldn't do any physio therapy because of the dementia. Eighteen months later and he's now bedridden, and ironically easier to deal with.

We had appointments with several different people ; community therapists, occupational therapists, falls clinic etc. So we got advice on mobility aides and adaptations.
Due to my own job I come into contact with elderly people, some of them have had hip fractures but have made amazing progress and regained most of their mobility. Dementia ultimately controls everything though, so it was never on the cards that my dad would physically recover.
I'm sorry it's really shit.