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Hello, new here was looking around the internet and finally found a caregiver forum not an ad for an agency. I tend to ramble these days. My question is my Mother had surgery for a broken femur not at the hip, and was advised not to put any weight on it for 8 weeks. We live in Canada in Quebec where the Corona virus is rampant. She has started doing rehab but they need to wait for a doctor to allow them to start standing her with assistance. By the way she was being taken care of when an auxiliary nurse was not paying attention on her cell when she fell and broke her femur at the hospital where she was supposed to be safe.
She came through the surgery amazingly but I want to bring her home but cannot as she still cannot stand, has anyone had experience with someone at this age recovering from surgery.

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Welcome to the forum.

I had a dear friend fall and break her femur. It was very traumatic for her, she was 84 years old. It took her some time but you really couldn't tell that she had broken it after the 1st year.

Unfortunatly the break, hospital stay and recovery advanced her dementia pretty dramatically.

She was happy and contented, so it was all well.

I am sorry that your mom is going through this, especially now, it makes everything harder.

Best wishes for a full recovery and no added surprises.
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So, why was your mother in hospital? I ask, because before you think about bringing her home, you'll want to take all of her care needs into account. Clearly there is some other condition that makes her a falls risk, or you wouldn't be so annoyed with the auxiliary nurse.

How old is your mother?
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Falls are not good especially with elders...covid19 involved? Probably not too many people have had that experience, it's kinda new. Physical therapy.. Can someone from hospital show you some of the therapy techniques to guide you to help mom at home? Do both you and mom feel safer under your care in home? I think I would take that chance if I was your mom... :) Hoyer lift to get her in and out of bed. excercises that doctor recommends..
It's going to be a toll for a few days until you both get into a routine. I would consult the doctor and hospital and any family member living in your home.. It's going change the whole house. Are there stairs leading to the house into the house, into the main living quarters? You may want to talk with doctor and social worker to make sure home is safe for mom.
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Have you taken care of someone in this condition? wheel chair, hoyer lift, bathing, continence. hygiene, the whole situation can be overwhelming.. and what other things you need to do for the broken femur, what do you need to do to care for it.
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Welcome, helpless.
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To avoid you making a nasty discovery, be clear that this is forum is also an ad for an agency. However it is run as a service without the agency interfering, and is a great help to many people.
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Elderly folks’ bones are brittle. It’s difficult to say whether a fall caused the femur to break or whether the femur broke on its own from low bone density and subsequent osteoporosis.
I personally have witnessed the latter. I will never forget it. That poor man.
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Don't know age but your Mother will need full assistance care before starting rehab. Usually in a nursing home. Alternatives are 24hr in-home care ($$$+++) or your home IF it can be managed safely.

If sprightly & strong with a can-do spirit she may be able to stand (when allowed) with a frame & pivot to chair. Commode for loo & shower (if allowed) or wash at sink.

If not physically strong in good leg & arms a lifting machine will be needed. If unable to follow instructions safety (anxious/fear/pain/other) this gets even harder.

Working space is needed to use all this equipment safely.

Bathroom needs to be suitable & doorways wide enough for wheelchair. Stairs?

I would talk to the hospital discharge planner. What's their suggestion? If she is transferred to their 'respite care' (or whatever they call it) can you visit? For how long?You really need to spend a few days watching all the physical care to see if you could do it.

If visitors are locked out & this won't be possible? Hmm.

Come back & update.
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So the hospital's negligence is going to result in you bringing her home and being responsible for all of the necessary care?

Have you documented the negligence? How do you know what happened?

In lieu of a lawsuit, perhaps the hospital could pay for 24-hour care at your home while your mother recovers. (I'm angry at the situation for you, and am just throwing this out there.)

Why was your mother in the hospital in the first place?
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MAYDAY Apr 2020
Accidents happen, unfortunately. Hospitals do have insurance plans for this kind of stuff. Then you need to weigh as to whether or not it is worth the stress... I don't like going to court... but you may like it... I don't like it.

Convince them for free rehab maybe one way... Either way, lawyers may need to get involved... Good luck... Hope your mom gets better.
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If you are in the USA... do ask social services , or they may ask you.. Your MOm Should Stay in a Rehab Facility for a Month. Then we will assess her, and her needs. Well, it used to be that way. It's been a number of years. My aunt fell in her senior living place.. she had to be moved to a rehab/nursing home. The day came quickly that social services says her time here is done, it will cost you if you don't move her... I had a place already tagged, and that woman looked at me quizzically, " you cannot find a place that fast." I told her this wasn't my first time in the rodeo. She looked at my papers, and agreed.. I got her in a 6 pack 1 mile away from me. 5 minute drive if I hit the signal lights correctly.
Social services should offer mom a 30 day reprieve. If they do, take it. They will not ask again. 30 days gives them time to rehab her, and you time to figure out if she is coming home with you, or you found a place close by that fits both her needs and yours too.
ASk about Palliative Care, so the physical therapists can come to her once a week or once every 2 weeks. etc. And or Hospice. They will evaluate her for both needs.. Maybe she only needs palliatiave care. They will re-assess her every 6 months to a year...nurse or PT will go to her instead of you taking her to dr office.
Hospice, if they see the need, will evaluate her every 30 days, this is more for people who may need end of life care.. It is not all that bad. My mom graduated 3 or 4 times. The last time, she went to Heaven, but she got a lot of care. Hospice is there for both patient and family..
This may have changed with covid.. you can discuss that at your next meeting. Good luck.
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Maybe you should press with the hospital about supplying her with a personal trainer, or a rehab facility so she can get stronger and literally back on her own two feet...
seek out different ways to solving this.. Keep asking your social worker, the doctors involved, etc. Keep inquiring.. KEEP INQUIRING... You may get the answer you need.
If you are not sure what "they are saying",,, keep asking WHY? HOW? WHAT?
AND... NOW WHAT DO WE DO?
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Beatty Apr 2020
I think she is non weight bearing for 8 weeks before any rehab can start.

Hospital will want to offload for the 8 weeks.
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Physical Therapy or Rehab, doesn't necessarily mean :weight bearing exercise .. a lil movement, getting a bit more circulation in that leg; get the blood flowing more consistently in that leg. And Mom to socialize a bit more,, keep her mind going too. Talking to other people, is a bit of therapy aka rehab as well.. She would need to converse with the therapist of how much is enough or too much..
If it is a broken femur.. how bad is it.. does she have a rod in the leg now? Considering the femur is one of the largest bones in the body., if not the largest.. It is a weight bearing bone, so of course she needs to heal. And getting circulation moving in that area, sooner, rather than later through rehab or physical therapy will help heal that bone. Hopefully, she will have a quick recovery...I am sure they don't want her to lay dormant.. that would not be good either... so Physical Therapy can be, just learning how to maneuver from laying down in bed,to sitting up in bed, to moving just to put feet on the floor; to get to walker, to chair, to commode.. and perhaps to teach the child to help the mother to gain the ability to do simple movements with this leg, to get to the final stages of putting weight on the leg and walking with a walker to walking without a walker... It's an issue..and it's no fun breaking a bone at this age especially...
Good vibes and prayers heading your way... Keep her happy and spirits light.. :) Happy moments, movies, thoughts, and music. Don't forget the treats, once in a while.. not too much, she needs to move to the music she loves to listen to.
Yes, it is a lot of rehab,and should start as soon as possible., but you don't want any of the muscles to atrophy too much... keep the joints from freezing or stiffening up... keep on stretching, excercising, and just remember.. your pain will ease up.. Your mom will notice a longer painfree moment. These moments without pain will continue until she won't notice pain as much.. Keep positive...day by day, week by week. She will be okay.
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Look for a good GAIT BELT.. Google it. Find one with good 'GRABs". Ask the doctor. They may prescribe you one. My friend had a really nice one for her dad, and was to get it, but then her other friend really needed it for his dad..So when you find YOUR GAIT BELT, TAKE A BIG BLACK or blue SHARPIE, AND WRITE YOUR NAME ON IT. Let your kids if you want, draw on it.. Seriously... these are wonderful belts to have in your situation.. PT will help you on how to use it properly.
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Would you please tell us her age? The risk of death is not immediate; the death rate from resulting infection(s) is/are quite high in elders 80 or older within one year or less from the date of fracture. I'm so sorry this happened to your dear Mom. As others have stated, you might want to consider bringing this up to the hospital management; is there some leeway for payment adjustments for care and rehabilitation in this situation?
Civil court cases have all been pushed back in this Covid pandemic we are experiencing. I had a Civil case in Missouri, flew there, and it got cancelled at the last minute due to precaution measures.
Again, I am so sorry that you and your family are going through this added layer of stress at this dreadful time.
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Hello it is the weekend when the sadness of the week kicks in, and did not realize I left out some information, I would also like to thank you all for your answers, and kind words.

1. My mother was 98 when the let her fall, she is now 99 and in rehab, I have not seen her since March 20th, due to the lock down in our area.
2. I am in Quebec Canada so cannot sue only make a complaint which now do to the crisis will not be pursued.
3. Hospital was free but do not know how much the rehab will cost as she was transferred due to the crisis.
4. So at the moment getting very little rehab, and is getting depressed. The best is when the nurses at the rehab call me and it seems like they are asking me how to treat some of her skin issues due to being in bed for 2 months, maybe if they let me in they I could tell them.
5. My favorite was last night I finally fell asleep the phone rings at 11:45 pm I touched it and hung up by accident saw it was the hospital called back right away and they state they did not call, and it is on my phone that they did.

Sorry no questions some answers to what was asked a a general rant sorry again.
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Tothill Apr 2020
Helpless,

If PQ is like BC there will be no charge for rehab. There also will not be a set end date for full coverage as there appears to be in the US. Dad has months of rehab in Vancouver after having a stroke.

Covid has made everything more challenging. Care facilities are having to limit access to try to prevent the spread, leaving family members worried and questions unanswered.

Can you ask the nurse to use Facetime, Whatsapp or another App to allow you to see Mum and perhaps see the skin issues?

It is not always possible to stop a senior from falling. And sometimes the bone breaks then the person falls. And it can be safer for everyone involved to not try to catch the person when they are falling.

Call in the morning and follow up with the dropped call. It can be challenging to trace who was making a call when a facility has a switchboard and multiple lines will show the same number. I have been at the switchboard end of it and had people say "...Why did you call me and not leave a message?", but they have not identified themselves and I have no idea who in the building may have been calling them. The best I can do is take a message and pass it to all the staff for the right person to follow up.
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I hope they let you come in and visit, facetime, or look through the window. Blow her kisses... I talked to someone today, her friend made an 8 X 10 collage of pictures for her dad to see. Hospital would only do facetime to the wife and not the kids... He has covid,and not allowed visitors
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