Supporting someone with hip replacement

[SKLM]

Hello, i'm looking for advice from people who have had hip replacements or experience supporting someone who has had one during their recovery.

A relative of mine, 70, otherwise fit and healthy/active is going to have a hip replacement soon. Their mobility is being badly affected by wear and tear in the joint.

I'm told they will be in hospital for one night after the procedure and then home.

Can you let me know what to expect in terms of how much pain they might be in and what their mobility will be like in the weeks after the replacement. How long it took to be able to get up and down stairs? What day to day activities needed to be adapted for a while?

I'm keen to support my family member who doesn't have support at home so will be prepared to stay with them for a while after the op.

Many thanks in advance!

I believe they will be up and down stairs with support before they are discharged., it's part of the assessment. As long as they have a solid bannister at home they should be doing this no problem.

The pain after the op will be from the incision and bruising, but the hip pain itself will be gone immediately. It's important to rest to recover from the op, but it's also important to remain gently active - even though we think bed rest after such a big procedure actually they don't need to be in bed, need to be gently moving, walking short distances, doing stairs at frequent intervals.

Start off little and often - no big walks outside to start but from kitchen to living room regularly yes! The hospital OT should have provided a list of things that are important - high toilet sets for example, grab rails if necessary, and they'll provide some appropriate exercises to do daily. I think staying with them for a day or two is a really good idea, it will be a big thing to have gone through and they'll likely appreciate the support and company.

They will likely need help getting out of bed, especially if they need a pee the middle of the night. There are boards you can buy for this. Personally, I found a very thick garbage bag slid under my bum did the trick. It helped reduce friction.

The hospital should make sure that they know how to get in and out of a car and up/down stairs (using crutches) before they leave. I had a five hour drive after mine (I live in Northern Canada), so we had to stop every hour so I could get out and stretch.

I'm 8 weeks post op for hip replacement.

In the first days they will be sore so its important to take all the painkillers the hospital provides. Keep ahead of the pain, don't wait till it hurts to take them.

Before discharge they will make sure she is safe to go home. This includes being able to get up and down stairs.

Things that helped me the most when I got home were raised toilet seat, grabbers as you cant reach floor, shoe horn and having a suitable chair. Something with arms and high enough to keep hips above knees.

The recovery itself was pretty easy for me but it was difficult to manage everyday life. The hardest things were sleeping on my back, not being able to do anything that involved bending at the hip, and not being able to carry anything while using crutches. A V shaped pillow was a great help. A big cross body bag that could hold phone, grabbers, book etc was very useful. A vacuum flask might be good so she can take a cup of tea to wherever she wants to drink it. I hung a shopping bag on a rope from the upstairs banister so I could get laundry etc up and down stairs without having to carry it. Overall it wasn't really about restricted mobility as such, it was more about figuring out different ways of doing everyday things while complying with the post op restrictions.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply your responses have been really helpful, I feel more prepared now. The grabber is an excellent idea.

Went through this in the summer with my mum who is 10 years older.

They had her up and mobilised 5 hours after surgery. Initially she used a zimmer, then crutches, then walking sticks. The hospital supplied a litter picker/grabber which she used to put her socks on. You will also possibly need a toilet seat - take pics of the loo you have at home and measure the height. Take painkillers on a schedule whether you think you need them or not but be aware that codeine can constipate. Think about somewhere to sit, they need a proper armchair style chair with arms they can push themselves up off rather than a squashy sofa.

Bending is a no no so move essential things from bottom kitchen cupboards onto surfaces. Before leaving hospital the physios should teach them how to safely get in and out of bed. There are some useful videos online.

https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/preparing-for-hip-or-knee-replacement-surgery

https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/trauma-and-orthopaedics/support-videos/hip-replacement/