Helping Your Loved One When They Come Home From Knee Replacement Surgery: Tips For You

When you have a loved one who needs to have their knee replaced, no matter what age they happen to be, it will take them some time to recover. Between staying in the hospital for several days after the surgery and possibly going to a swing bed facility or other short-term rehabilitation center, it can be up to a week or more before your loved one will return to their home. However, when they do, you will want to makes sure that you have done everything your can to help them out with their transition back into their home. Get to know a few of the ways that you can do just that.

Be Sure That They Have The Home Health Care Equipment They Need

After your loved one's knee replacement surgery, they will have movement, lifting, and activity restrictions. Additionally, activities such as going to the restroom or taking a shower, or even putting on shoes and socks will be difficult for them. There are ways to make these activities easier on your loved one, though.

Home health care equipment is designed to help patients recover from surgery. In the care of your loved one who has had knee replacement surgery, this equipment may include a reacher (a long-handled device that can grab and pick up items when you squeeze the handle), a long-handled sponge for showering, tongs, a sock aid, and a long-handled shoe horn.

Additionally, your loved one may need a raised toilet seat so that they do not have to bend their knee as deeply and then try to push themselves to standing. Hand rails around the toilet and in the shower as well as a walker and crutches will also help your loved one out as they slowly get back to full strength and mobility.

Help Them Arrange Their House

The original setup and layout of your loved one's house may not be conducive to their recovery process. If they like a lot of furniture and items all arranged in a small space or they simply have narrow walkways in between their pieces of furniture, this can cause a tripping hazard in your loved one's home.

A fall after knee replacement surgery can cause severe damage and injury. Therefore, you will want to make sure that you help your loved one move their furniture around if needed to make clear walkways and help them get rid of fall and trip hazards.

Stairs will be a problem after knee replacement surgery as well. You may need to help build and/or install ramps to get in and out of the house and possibly even relocate their bedroom to a main floor if stairs are necessary to get to their bedroom.

When your loved one gets to come home after their knee replacement surgery, you want to be there for them to provide help and assistance. These steps can help you do just that.

Share