Hip replacement before and after diagnosis.

[4boding]

Greetings,

I'm a next of kin and used to be the sole caregiver for my mum. She's now comfortably settled in a carehome and both our lives have improved. I am worried though. Mum is comparartively young for someone with Alzheimer's (70+) and she had a hip replacement 15 years ago. You know what they say, first one goes then the other, and maybe the replacements don't last indefinitely.

Mum's fallen a couple of times in the home. I'm starting to think, what if she were to need a new hip, or two? We managed to get one of her eyes cleared of cataracts before the dementia progressed: the surgeon seemed to think it wasn't worth the trouble, if she wasn't reading books so much anymore

Would an orthopaedic surgeon even be willing to operate on a 70+ lady with Alzheimer's?
Mum probably wouldn't be able to manage the physiotherapy afterwards.

Does anyone have any insights into this problem: arthritis + hip replacements + dementia?

4boding

 

[Spamar]

Dont know about hip replacement on someone with dementia, but I had mine done 11 1/2 years ago and it's still going strong. However, there was talk about them only lasting 10 years at that time. Even a fall does not mean a replacement, I've had several falls and knocks on that side.
I think perhaps your are overthinking problems before they arrive!! ( well prepared!) By the way, exercises pre op are also important. I had to do mine, the physio was a friend!
Also, make sure she doesn't have osteoporosis when a break is much more common.

 

[nellbelles]

Someone I know in their 80's with dementia fell and broke her hip, she is now back at home with just carers coming in.. nothing is written in stone!

Try not to worry..

 

[oilovlam]

Hip replacement for someone with dementia shouldn't be out of the question. I suspect it is all about quality of life. If someone is in pain and an operation would remove that pain then the surgeon would probably operate. If the risks outweight the benefits then they may not.

Hip operations - especially if broken during a fall - is a no brainer. They have the operation. But there are risks. There can be a mental decline after the operation.

My mum was 77 and broke her hip. I was worried that she wouldn't recover physically. She did....although she had developed some additional behaviour in hospital (spitting constantly at times). However it wasn't an easy road....I suppose it never is.

Physiotherapy in hospital....nope was almost nothing...it was a shock & disappointment how little they do. I had to do most of it and mum did the rest, by just walking around the house.

 

[4boding]

Dont know about hip replacement on someone with dementia, but I had mine done 11 1/2 years ago and it's still going strong. However, there was talk about them only lasting 10 years at that time. Even a fall does not mean a replacement, I've had several falls and knocks on that side.
I think perhaps your are overthinking problems before they arrive!! ( well prepared!) By the way, exercises pre op are also important. I had to do mine, the physio was a friend!
Also, make sure she doesn't have osteoporosis when a break is much more common.

Thanks. I am trying to anticipate a problem, it's true. Osteoporosis? When would someone have cause to check for that?

 

[4boding]

Hip replacement for someone with dementia shouldn't be out of the question. I suspect it is all about quality of life. If someone is in pain and an operation would remove that pain then the surgeon would probably operate. If the risks outweight the benefits then they may not.

Hip operations - especially if broken during a fall - is a no brainer. They have the operation. But there are risks. There can be a mental decline after the operation.

My mum was 77 and broke her hip. I was worried that she wouldn't recover physically. She did....although she had developed some additional behaviour in hospital (spitting constantly at times). However it wasn't an easy road....I suppose it never is.

Physiotherapy in hospital....nope was almost nothing...it was a shock & disappointment how little they do. I had to do most of it and mum did the rest, by just walking around the house.

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure they'd operate in the event of a break. I'm just wondering about wear & tear, the warning signs and so forth. It wouldn't be an easy road, the aftercare, given mum's lack of awareness. I guess I can only wait and ask the caregivers to remain vigilant.

Thanks again.

 

[Kevinl]

I don't think the doctors would write her off as such but they would have to consider if the operation is in the patient's best interest, would the outcome have a positive outcome and decide on that basis.
One man I know had a fall at the home and a new hip and at least 2 of the women have fallen and had to have pins fitted.
I don't know what other peoples experience is but since she became ill with AZ my wife has never complained of pain of any real kind although she has sustained several injuries including having her wrist broken by another resident.
Given that there are 30 people on the unit between early 60 to nearly 90 there's much less complaints of pain that I'd expect to hear from 30 people of that age without AZ.
One woman there has been on medication for back pains for years (her husband told me) but now she refuses the tablets, I doubt her back has got better I just don't think she feels the pain in the same way. Given the way some of them sleep in chairs for hours you'd expect them to get stiff necks, back pains or something, I know I would.
K

 

[2jays]

Greetings,

I'm a next of kin and used to be the sole caregiver for my mum. She's now comfortably settled in a carehome and both our lives have improved. I am worried though. Mum is comparartively young for someone with Alzheimer's (70+) and she had a hip replacement 15 years ago. You know what they say, first one goes then the other, and maybe the replacements don't last indefinitely.

Mum's fallen a couple of times in the home. I'm starting to think, what if she were to need a new hip, or two? We managed to get one of her eyes cleared of cataracts before the dementia progressed: the surgeon seemed to think it wasn't worth the trouble, if she wasn't reading books so much anymore

Would an orthopaedic surgeon even be willing to operate on a 70+ lady with Alzheimer's?
Mum probably wouldn't be able to manage the physiotherapy afterwards.

Does anyone have any insights into this problem: arthritis + hip replacements + dementia?

4boding

Spoken with utmost respect... totally understanding why you are thinking things through, before they happen.....

Stop worrying about what might happen

Deal with it, IF it happens. How ever much you think/worry/get info about a scenario... it really isn't helping because it might not happen

I spent too much time dealing with the possible future what ifs.... not enough time looking after myself or "enjoying" day by day with mum

I was the the medal winner in over thinking possible scenarios.... to the point of not being able to sleep, but if I did, waking imagining other worst case scenarios that I felt I needed information on how to deal with....

Things happen. Life happens. Doesn't matter how informed you try to be, the information you try to get, isn't necessarily going to be of use.....

IF anything happens, ask for information/support... trying to sort the answers before it happens doesn't help. Fight the battles when in front of you, not imagined battles.....

I was the worst for gaining as much info for the what if's..... and when an "if" happened.... and when the "if" wasn't what I had covered I felt a failure.....

Hindsight is a hard won..... I don't think I would listen when I was in the world of gaining info to be sure I could make things right.....

Hindsight has allowed me to understand that no matter what I did, prepared for.... i would have been kinder to all, me and mum, if I had only asked what to do WHEN something happened, and not spent a many sleepless night on the "possibles"

Squishy hug

5 months since mum died, 10 years after she was diagnosed

Just to add... mumbroke her leg near her hip. operation, hospital for 2 weeks (a nightmare for me, not mum) back to care home... after 3 months wonderful care from the carers, mum back pacing the hallway...

 

[Spamar]

Osteoporosis is thinning of the bone, it's usually checked for if you are elderly and have a broken a bone or two. Perhaps have a word with a gp?. I've got the forerunner of it in my feet, but never knowingly broken a bone there. Though there is arthritis there, that's painful enough!