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Mom (85) is in late stage dementia and just broke her hip 15 weeks ago. Went to weight bearing status at week 14, bad break and bone is barely forming around pin. She is doing PT 3-4x/week, but very weak. Able to transfer to do toileting now, but can stand only a few seconds. Anyone have any successful experience with LO able to walk after a hip break with a walker? How long did it take? What were some of the better PT exercises? Mom is naturally having difficulty understanding the therapy due to dementia. Any advice?

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Wow, she is doing just fine if she can stand. I had my knee replaced at 61, and what helped me was getting outside in the wheelchair and using my legs to move it up and down the driveway "chair walking". Try to keep her at ideal weight, being heavy makes it harder. My BIL shattered his tibia and recovery was very slow until he decided to lose 35 lbs. Now he is improving.
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I think dementia has prevented my dad from ever walking again he's not paralyzed but cannot bare any weight since he went to the hospital in June he then went to 100 days rehab he now has to wear depends and refuses to even try to stand up ever again I have him a residence just like being in home because he needs 24 hour care 2 person assistance all the time it's very hard to do transfers out of bed and he keeps saying someday he'll be home again he's had home care come in to do therapy also And now there time is up also he wants everybody to do the work for him which he needs to do himself it's really up to him and it's up to your mom if they want to walk again
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My brother in law recovered in rehab (after a heart attack) at age 86 enough to get into independent living in the nursing hime (Veteran's Home). He was in the independent living about a month, then fell and broke a hip. He went down hill after that. He lived about 8 more months in a steady decline. I still miss him. It is so hard to watch someone go down like that.
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My mother was 92 when she fell and broke her ankle in 2 places - steel pins, etc to repair. She did rehab and then in-home therapy minimally. She eventually returned to walking (with a walker - prior to the accident not) and even managed to go up and down the full flight of stairs as they're house is built on a hillside. She moved about the house as little as she could But she was able to walk!
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Mom was 80 and broke her hip twice, was able to regain walking with a walker both times, very slow, but none the less walking and standing. Not long after the second time due to the dementia she stopped walking, but it was not due to the break. We continued PT for quite a while so she could stand and transfer.
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My 77-year old husband had a Pacemaker put in and went to a rehab facility after that before coming home. The area of the Pacemaker was sore and he could not exert any pressure on his arms to raise himself up to get on his walker. After 3 weeks of physical and occupational therapy (every day except Sundays) he was able to come home and use his walker. Physical and occupational therapy exercises has continued at home. He has done very well. John also has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus which affects his gait and that was complicated by a heart blockage; hence the necessity of a Pacemaker. He can also now get in and out of the car without too much assistance but using the walker.
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Do you know if your mom broke her hip, then fell down or fell and then broke her hip? If she's likely to break more bones, is it wise to have her back up walking? I'm no expert on this, but when breaking bones is so easy, I just wonder if the benefit is worth it, if they are going to get another fracture and be back in the hospital with more pain and more potential surgery.
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What strikes me is that although fifteen weeks might feel like a long time, it really isn't. God willing, with persistence and help (and I appreciate the complications of dementia) she will continue to improve; but the thing about healing bones in late age is that it takes ***ages***.

My 95 year old great aunt recovered from a pelvic fracture to walking eventually - that must have been four months, as I remember. Mother's wrist took more than six months to be working properly again, at 88. Her hip fracture at 60ish, though, took six weeks because the damn fools didn't pin it…

Message is, she will get there but think of a number and double it when it comes to how long. What exactly did she break? - neck of femur?
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My Mom broke her hip bone and had a complete hip replacement at 86.
With the help of physical therapy, and doing daily physical therapy exercise at home, her recovery was remarkable.
I coached her on the exercises twice a day.
I got her to use a walker, and after 5 months, got her off the walker and using just a quad footed cane.
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My mom broke her femur (she's 88) and within 5 weeks she was out of the wheelchair and using a walker. She had PT 6 days a week at the rehab center. I am an athletic trainer and did the PT with her and the therapist which helped. Now at her AL she gets PT twice a week. Keep consistent and be her cheerleader. It helps
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my mother is 91 and broke her leg..was in nursing home rehab for 4 weeks and now home therapy and is walking slowly with a walker and a knee immobilizer ..she can sit down and stand up with asisistance but is walking slowly with the walker on her own and can put full body weight on her bad leg..the therapist says she's doign great and is looking forward to seeing her walking again at least with her walker..and she is going to start going to the restroom by herself tomorrow so it looks as though soon she'll be free from wearing disposables..it appears as though she'll be walking just fine with a walker,which she used before her fall anyway..it seems like she's slowly getting back to the point she was at before she broke her leg.thank god!!she'll be 92 years old in october.
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managedhealthcareconnect.com/article/6903
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