Hip Replacement - no aftercare?

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FIL is due to have a hip replacement in a couple of months. It has already been delayed twice.

He lives alone, not really friends with neighbours, and only SIL locally. My parents both had hip replacements about 10 yrs ago, and helped each other during recovery - cooking, getting to toilet, moving around etc. They said it was the first thing they were asked, was there someone at home to help.

FIL wasn’t asked this, but SIL phoned up to find out what happens after discharge. She was told there is no care provided, other than equipment provided by an OT. Just a“relative or a friendly neighbour” expected to take it on.

From what my parents said quite a lot of care and assistance is needed in the first week or so after discharge.

Any experience to share? How incapacitated is FIL going to be (he’ll be discharged after a couple of days apparently).

The physio will make sure he can manage stairs and he will have had equipment set up at home but the recovery is better if they are moving around and he shouldn’t need much help.

My mum had a hip replacement a few years ago and although the hospital made sure she could walk before they discharged her, she needed a lot of help from my dad in the first few weeks eg with dressing. She would have struggled if she'd had to cook for herself etc. My dad was also good at making sure she did her exercises after the op.

She's due for the other hip to be replaced but the op has been delayed because of covid. My dad died since the first op so our plan is for my sister (who can wfh) to move in with my mum during the week and for me to be there at weekends. Hopefully we won't need to do that for more than a couple of weeks.

It also depends on which style of op they do. I had a hip replacement three weeks ago. I’m 46. They used the super path technique on me. I was only in hospital for one night. I definitely needed help for the first few days, especially getting in and out of bed.

Would you FIL be able to pay for some short term care? couple of visits each day for help with dressing, bathing, cooking.
Or is he on any benefits that would make him eligible to claim for the cost od short term care?

After care is pretty much down to the patient. That was the initial reason why Tom Moore was out walking each day with his frame after a hip op, until the idea of fund raising came up. He mentioned this first time on TV, but it has somehow got glossed over now.

SIL has a ft job, family etc: she can’t move in with FIL unfortunately.

@cariadlet. That’s exactly what my mum said, that she would have really struggled without my dad around (and vice versa). And FILis at least 15 years older now than they were.

I would agree with your parents. Neighbour recently had 2nd hip done, came home next day, struggled with husband helping her.

Speak to the hospital about discharge planning. They can arrange a short term care package to help with personal care after discharge. Usually six weeks of twice daily care visits to help people get up and get to bed. Ask at point of admission, to give them time to arrange it.

MIL had six weeks reablement package for personal care, two visits a day for personal care/meal prep. Lent a commode.
This is what rainy day savings are for though. Can he buy in extra help needed?
Make it quite clear to the hospital there is no family able to 'take it on'. SIL needs to be careful here, and manage everyone's expectations. Hopefully your FIL can use this opportunity to think sensibly long term about if and how he will manage in his current living conditions generally as he grows older.

Forgot to add, they were early eighties, could not prepare food, struggled to get out of bed even with hubby (real struggle as not got upper body strength now older), pain, medication made them feel sick, reduced appetite, hard to get to toilet (cant change bedding if needed to) needed assistance to practice walking etc.

My MIL had to wear compression stockings after hers that had to be taken off at night, they would have been nearly impossible for someone to manage on their own.

Not a good experience I'm afraid...

We asked for an after care assessment /discharge as my parent is disabled with mobility issues anyway, aged 80, and a long way from me.

She then got discharged into the main entrance seating area later, at night when I was sound asleep three hours drive away, so was sat there all night in her nighty with a coat on top Winter, 2019.
Doors on automatic opening, too weak to move.

No obviously no aftercare.

I made complaints, but didn't have the will to keep fighting as was supporting her daily & had my own health problems as well.
I realised that there was & is, just fudging, not returning calls, moving enquires down the line to other staff sort of tactics.
Really angering & frustrating as she had loads of pain & her mood was very low too so was doubly difficult trying to care for her.

Local nursing team member dropped in after a week to prescribe strong painkillers, and a lovely supportive nurse but saying 'it was the cuts' 'there's no help' etc, that was it.

Now a social services assessment is needed for general support, but I am assuming from reading others experience, that it would just be wriggled out of too.

Some have far better recovery though of course! It took about 2/3 months to get pain free & totally healed/no swelling.

DM 81 with Alzheimer’s had hip replacement a few weeks ago was in hospital for nearly 2 weeks
On discharge she was brought home by ambulance with an OT to assess her home - they decided she needed toilet seat raiser, commode at night, perching stool in kitchen, raisers for sofa and a wheeled walking frame - all equipment was delivered same day
They assessed her for 4 care visits a day of an hour each
After 2 weeks they reassessed and transferred her over to reablement team who do 2 x 60 min calls and 2 x 30 min calls - free for 6 weeks - she is doing well and I think will manage to drop to 2 visits a day soon
She will be self funding these as has savings over the limit
DB sorts out her drugs and odd jobs - I do food shopping and laundry
She also has a cleaner once a week who will also change bed, iron and do some laundry

Where do you live? In northern Ireland a care package would be put in place for 6 weeks to assist with a rehab programme. Postcard lottery by the sounds of this

My father who lives on his own was discharged with nothing (this was in 2018). Absolutely nothing. Not even a plan to take stitches out. If he’d fallen on the floor that first night and not been able to get up, he would have died there and no one from the NhS would ever have known.

This is in the SE.

Since so many of you responded, I thought it would be good to updated it anyone looking for advice.

FIL had his op as planned.

The hospital was the usual total mess of conflicting information and poorly managed discharge. 🙄 The staff had been warned that there was no-one at home to help him, and that he might need some sort of care package and that any plans for discharge had to be discussed with SIL first.

So naturally, when asked if anyone was able to care for him, he said SIL could (she can’t and he knew this!), and that was just accepted at face value and no care package was offered. Then he was asked if he wanted any aids like a raised toilet seat, he said no, so they sent him home with nothing and the physio / OT wasn’t involved (they found out and were very pissed of, and brought a bunch of aids out to him: he shouldn’t have been given the choice). He was discharged at very short notice late in a Sunday night - they just called SIL and told her to come and get him!

So we ended up getting a private carer in twice a day with sil going once to make sure he does his exercises and takes his meds. After his initial reluctance he really appreciates the carer, not least for a bit of company. So it has worked out.

Thank you for all the advice!