Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Elderly parents

Flip

Original poster

Hip Fracture not doing well

9 replies

PollyPolson · 02/06/2020 16:22

Mum fell and broke her hip on Sunday.

She moved to a care home in January and was doing really well.She has mild dementia but her self confidence,motivation and mood was really improving in the care home. She was getting pleasure out of life again.

She feel early last week and cut her arm and then fell again on Sunday and was taken to hospital.

She had the op on Monday and has been very poorly since. She is more confused, very weak and refusing to do anything the medics ask of her. She is catheterised and not standing or sitting up.

I know it is early days but not being able to see her and imagining her alone and frightened in a strange place is hard. When she needs us most we can not be with her .

A lovely nurse let me try to speak to her today on the nurses mobile but Mum was barely able to speak. I think she knew who I was but she was not able to answer and could not talk in sentences just odd words, then she feel asleep.

The care home have been fantastic and will take her back as soon as she can stand - even if it is with 2 handed support. The alternative is that they will send her to a local rehabilitation hospital (where we now they have covid) so we are very reluctant for that to happen.

Not really sure what I am hoping from this post but you all seem a very knowledgeable lot and any ideas, suggestions help are welcomed. Do we have any say over where she goes to once the hospital chuck her out?

OP posts:

Rinsefirst · 02/06/2020 18:59

My DM with pretty advanced dementia broke her hip three years ago in her 1st care home. She had to wait 36 hrs for her operation. After the op she was quite poorly and I had to contact my brother and sister to say she looked awful and had dipped. I thought it was curtains and the nursing staff were so worried they kept her close. They put her on oxygen and amazingly the following day she was absolutely ‘golden’ . She was so good that she got discharged back to the carehome later that day. She apparently had too much dementia to go to rehab. We were a bit disappointed but to be fair the carehome team did their best to rehabilitate her. Three years hence she can walk a few steps but is mostly in her wheelchair.

Original poster

PollyPolson · 02/06/2020 20:24

@Rinsefirst thank you so much for telling me your experience. It is good to know that your DM picked up but sorry the beastly dementia affected her rehabilitation. If Mum can get back to her care home they do have a specialist gym and physio that could help her with rehab if she is able but.....

Thanks again

OP posts:

Rinsefirst · 02/06/2020 22:01

OP I so hope your mum picks up. Genuinely my mum was so ill at first after the surgery they thought we would lose her. Fingers crossed she has a good night.

Chocolatecake12 · 02/06/2020 22:09

Do you know why she fell in the first place? Sometimes falls are the signs of an infection such as a uti which can make a person confused so they loose their footing. It could explain her ongoing confusion maybe.
It could also be that her dementia has advanced.
Have you been able to speak to the dr looking after her? If not I would try tomorrow to speak to her team, not just the dr but the physios on the ward too.
It’s so hard not being able to visit her and see for yourself how she is.

Eleanor6 · 02/06/2020 22:41

Hi there, my mum had a very similar situation, she fell 3 weeks ago and had surgery the following day, post op she was very like your mum and continued to be until about 2 weeks post op when she slowly got her strength... she is back in her care home and is standing and mobilising with the assistance of one. She had lots of physio in hospital and they refused to discharge her until she had some mobility.

MoreHairyThanScary · 02/06/2020 22:53

Agree with pp why did she fall was it a uti or a small stroke both of which would account for the changes did you let the nurse know how far off her normal she is?

Original poster

PollyPolson · 03/06/2020 09:00

Thank you all so much for your comments. I am sorry that people have had to go through this but it is reassuring that even though they are very old and loved ones can rally - lets hope Mum is up for that!

We are not sure why she fell in the first place. She said on both occasions that her legs just gave way. Her dementia is getting worse. I guess we will have to look into this more in the coming days.

The hospital have been fantastic and we are having regular contact with an assigned nurse several times a day and a dr once a day. They do know that this is very far from normal for her and have also spoken to the care home who has also confirmed this. She was ok(ish) when she was taken into hospital so I think that it is the GA and procedure that have brought on the increase in dementia (but I am no dr).

Lets see what today brings.

Thanks again for all your comments - they really help

OP posts:

Original poster

PollyPolson · 03/06/2020 16:59

Well the amazing nurses got her sitting in a chair today so that is a positive.

She is refusing to eat though which is not great.

OP posts:

Katyy · 11/06/2020 08:18

Hope your mum is doing okay Polly. My mum broke her hip last June, she was very poorly and confused for 10 days. She didn’t have any dementia before that. She was discharged to a rehabilitation centre after 2 weeks and spent 10 weeks there she is 88.
She now walks with a frame quite well and is independent in her own flat, but sadly is now showing signs of dementia. Good luck.

Flip