Hip Fractures—Life-Altering for Patients & Families

Independent living is the desire and goal of many older adults and their families. Whether at home or in elder care facilities, the ability to get around, dress, and care for themselves is of paramount importance to the enjoyment of their senior years.

Preventing Hip fractures helps older adults maintain their independence and reduces strain on caregivers and families.

While other physical challenges of advancing years such as diminishing hearing or eyesight often can be addressed to minimize their impact on activities of daily living, loss of mobility is a far greater challenge. 

Catastrophic Event for Patients

Restrictions on getting around or in taking care of oneself resulting from a hip fracture can be deeply disturbing. Not only can well-established habits and patterns of daily living be disrupted, but they in turn can lead to depression, with loss of appetite, loss of energy, and even loss of interest in living. This downward spiral is all too common—and highly distressing to all concerned.    

In an instant—quite apart from the trauma, lengthy immobility, and recovery—a hip fracture often represents a truly life-altering and catastrophic event for the sufferer.

Also Devastating for Families & Caregivers

This can also be true for family members. A hip fracture often represents a watershed event between thoroughly enjoying interactions with an elderly parent and the potential nightmare of becoming, overnight, the daily caregiver for a dependent parent. Depending on the life situation of the caregiver, this in turn can result in a host of family and financial challenges.