My mom fell and broke her hip in October. The x-rays today show that the bone is still not fully healed, and the surgeon says it could take up to one year. Of all the people who break a hip and have surgery, one third will die within one year (he says mom is not one of them); and of the two thirds left, one third who was fully functioning prior to the break will need a walker; and the other third, who was walker dependent, will now rely on wheelchair. My mother falls into the wheelchair category. She needs 75% assistance for everything; needs two people to help her transfer with a Hoyer Life. I am losing faith that she will be able to return to her baseline prior to the fall, which was using a walker. She had mobility issues prior to the fall because of a brain aneurysm that ruptured 20+ years ago and left her with disabilities. I am concerned we are on the downward path now. What can I expect at this point in her recovery (or lack thereof). The PT and OT folks at the nursing center said that she hasn't made any progress so Medicare would not continue to pay for PT OT there, but she will receive PT in the ALF. Any suggestions to help us cope would be beneficial. Thanks!
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The PT she will get in her ALF won't get her out of the wheelchair as PT won't help heal her hip.
But it's very important that she not give up. You don't have to tell her that this is it, she's in the wheelchair forever. Give her encouragement to do the PT exercises and to do them on her own as well.
This is just another stage in the aging process. A new normal that you and she have to get used to. Will she be able to stay in the ALF if she's in a wheelchair?
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