General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTough day here ... my Dad fell and broke his hip.
But one good note is when they where asking ?s @ the hospital they asked him his name,
where he was, what year it was, and who is the President and @ 90 years old, retired
professor who @ one time worked @ the RNC headquarters he looked @ the nurse, and said
"I'm not happy with my answer but it is Trump." No President Trump and even no Mr. Trump
just Trump.
I don't know what things are gonna unfold but they are what they are and I'll do what I
can for my mother, the family, and my son, his bride to be and their baby.
BTW good thing I didn't start the turkey.
MLAA
(17,328 posts)dameatball
(7,399 posts)TEB
(12,894 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)My FIL in a similar situation said Al Gore, and they were ready to call in a neurologist. I had to explain he didnt like bush, and refused to acknowledge him.
Im sure its been a long day for you too.
Botany
(70,582 posts)n/t
malaise
(269,157 posts)That's not good at his age.
StarryNite
(9,460 posts)So sorry to hear about your dad. Don't leave him alone in the hospital any more than you have to. Become familiar, if you aren't already, with 'hospital delirium' which affects older people more than younger ones.
After having gone through this this past summer with my dad, I highly recommend you read this and the comments as well. My father had no form of dementia prior to his hospital stays but he came out a different person.
Hospital Delirium: What to know & do
Why hospital delirium is so important to know about
Delirium is a state of worse-than-usual mental function, brought on by illness or some kind of stress on the body or mind.
Although people with dementia are especially prone to develop delirium, delirium can and does affect many seniors who dont have an Alzheimers or another dementia diagnosis. Here are some facts that all caregivers of older adults should know:
Delirium is very common during hospitalization. Delirium can affect up to half of older patients in a hospital. Risk factors include having pre-existing dementia and undergoing surgery. Having had delirium in the past is also a strong risk factor.
Delirium is strongly associated with worse health outcomes. Short-term problems linked to delirium include falls and longer hospital stays. Longer-term consequences can include speeding up cognitive decline, and a higher chance of dying within the following year.
Delirium is often missed by hospital staff. Busy hospital staff may not realize that an older person is more confused than usual, especially if the delirium is of the quiettype. (Although many people are restless when delirious, its also common for people to become quiet and spaced out.)
Delirium is multifactorial. There often isnt a single cause for delirium. Instead, it tends to happen due to a combination of triggers (illness, pain, medication side-effects) and risk factors (dementia, or pre-dementia). This means that treatment and prevention often require a multi-pronged approach.
To summarize, delirium is common, serious, and often missed by hospital staff.
[link:https://betterhealthwhileaging.net/hospital-delirium-what-to-do/|
Botany
(70,582 posts)I'll listen to his doctors and nurses. He is exactly where he needs to be right now.
StarryNite
(9,460 posts)Just be aware of this potential issue. When you read about it, it makes sense because hospitals are very confusing places for patients for a lot of reasons. Should he show any signs, speak to his doctors and nurses. And of course, never be afraid to ask the doctors and nurses questions. When our family members are in the hospital, we are their advocates. I also suggest checking every medication he is on for possible side effects, just to be prepared so you can recognize if one of the drugs is not agreeing with his body. Some people do fine on some drugs while others on the same drug do not. That was a big problem with my dad who was on no drugs at all until he was put on an antibiotic that did not agree with him. Prior to that he was living alone and doing fine at age 102!
HeiressofBickworth
(2,682 posts)I checked in to our local hospital for a stent and midway was transferred to a cardiac hospital in the big city. They kept me quite doped up until they could do a bypass. I must have been making some sense because I called my daughter who was vacationing in Hawaii at the time to tell her where to find my bank account information and where to find my will and to say goodbye. I'm told it all sounded rational until I started talking about the black kittens following the nurses around and the unicorns outside my room. I actually remember nothing about it other than the kittens and unicorns. My next memory was being moved to a cardiac rehab place closer to home. Although I fully recovered my mental abilities, there are five or six days I completely lost. I was fortunate my daughter and granddaughter were there to take care of things because I was out of it. I wasn't aware until much later that hospital dementia was a real thing.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,870 posts)She did fine. She lived to be 101 . And was in pretty good health right up to 100.
StarryNite
(9,460 posts)about 12 years apart. The second one was when she was in her late 80s. She had later stage dementia by that time and was in a memory care home. The doctors said they doubted she would ever walk again, but walk she did! Lived to be in her mid 90s. So no, a broken hip does not mean they will not go on to have many years after.
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)They can use a local spinal injection rather than general anathesia. My mom has had both hips replaced after falls. The second time, she got a spinal rather than general and did much better.
catchnrelease
(1,945 posts)He was 89, broke his leg and had surgery to re-set the bone. Coming out of the anesthesia he was never the same. Totally confused and clearly was having hallucinations. I think he did improve some but he had other problems, other than the leg break, that led to his death not too long after his fall, so I don't know if he would have returned to his old self or not. His dementia made his hospital stay and physical therapy very difficult.
This happened about 20 yrs ago. My husband has a friend who was an anesthesiologist and said that they are more aware now that sedation affects geriatric patients more than younger people, and it is very common to see these symptoms. Some people will return to their 'normal' mental state and others may not.
Response to Botany (Original post)
applegrove This message was self-deleted by its author.
mountain grammy
(26,650 posts)To your dad and to you. Already lucky you didnt start the turkey.
LoisB
(7,231 posts)Cha
(297,655 posts)Great answer of his to the nurse!
mnhtnbb
(31,404 posts)I am four weeks post a hip replacement myself, but I'm 20 some years younger than your dad and the surgery was elective.
Do try to have somebody hang with him at the hospital as much as possible. Work out shifts, if you have to. It helps to have an advocate around for your dad. Be sure he knows to ask for pain meds AHEAD of the pain. No time to be macho. And be sure the doc prescribes a stool softener. Constipation is a side effect from pain meds.
As long as your dad keeps his sense of humor, he'll do ok. Good answer about 45!
catbyte
(34,451 posts)I know it's not a great diagnosis at his age, but it can heal. My grandad fell and broke his hip when he was 88. He had to spend a few weeks in rehab, but was able to go back home to his cat. He lived there on his own until suffering a swift, final stroke at age 99.
Please take care and let us know how he's doing. He sounds feisty, just like my grandad was, and that's a very good thing.
murielm99
(30,763 posts)and I hope he heals physically. He sounds like a great dad.
My brother had a minor stroke when Dubya was President. They asked him who the President was. He became visibly disgusted, then said, "Al Gore." The nurse told him he was doing just fine.
Niagara
(7,659 posts)I hope your dad has a quick recovery.
KentuckyWoman
(6,692 posts)Hopefully they can get your Dad back up on his feet fairly quickly. And I'm so glad for you, that despite the ugly circumstance, you have your Dad.
Hugs.
displacedtexan
(15,696 posts)Here's hoping your dad has sunshine & friendly faces and can get home quickly!
marble falls
(57,208 posts)sorry about that turkey, but imagine how much fun next Thanksgiving will be with a new story in his repertoire!
Prayers work!
WhiteTara
(29,722 posts)about your dad. That must have been quite the day.
diva77
(7,656 posts)loved his comment about dump!
hostalover
(447 posts)when the caller asked me who the president was (it was W at the time), I said "I'm not saying his name!" "Well, would you spell it?" "Oh heck, it's like a shrub," I said. I failed the test but there were other factors involved, like pre-existing conditions.
elmac
(4,642 posts)a year or so later she broke her hip. She recovered, got along pretty good with a walker, later a wheelchair before she died of cancer.
She had experimental back surgery in 1931 to correct an open spine, her surgeon would later become JFK's doctor.
yardwork
(61,706 posts)Delphinus
(11,840 posts)Bless you for taking it so much in stride. May all go well.
pansypoo53219
(20,996 posts)good luck.
renate
(13,776 posts)It sounds like you were all there when it happened, so he got taken care of right away... that's a good thing.
kentuck
(111,110 posts)I can see where you get some of your smarts.
Nevilledog
(51,197 posts)..... being there on a day you expected to enjoy your family being together in celebration of thankfulness really sucks. There are things to be grateful for nonetheless..... Your family is still together, your father is keeping his sense of humor, you are in a location where he is receiving care and all the staff are dedicated enough to be away from their families so they can help in just this situation. All our healing thoughts head your way!
blm
(113,091 posts).
mahina
(17,697 posts)He must have some interesting stories, living through the Depression and WWII. Id love to hear them.
What caused the fall if you dont mind the question?
Botany
(70,582 posts)... him into his office and told him that he was going to work for Ohio Bell doing repair work
on phone lines to which my Dad said I don't know anything about that stuff to which
the principal told him, "you'll learn." When he said he didn't even have his driver's
license yet the principal told him to come by the office the next day and he would have one.
So his Jr. and Sr. years in high school was classes in the AM and phone work in the PM.
He almost never talked about it but he saw action in Korea in the navy. Almost to this
day he can still wake up thinking he has to go and work on the radar or run the deck gun
on the destroyer mine sweeper he was on because they got too close to shore and were
under shore fire.
His fall was caused by a loss of balance and he hit a door frame on his way down.
mahina
(17,697 posts)Im grateful for him.
My Grandpa was in the Korean War too. He never told us anything.
Aloha Botany. Take good care yourself too.
MineralMan
(146,331 posts)senseandsensibility
(17,130 posts)Best wishes to your Dad and your family.
Nac Mac Feegle
(971 posts)A very good family friend fell and broke his hip, but wasn't turned often enough. He developed some bad bedsores . It's almost 3 years and still aren't fully healed. He's almost 94 though, but it really affected him.
irisblue
(33,023 posts)Andthe rest of the family?
Botany
(70,582 posts)Hip replacement. I will know more in a little bit.
thanx.