After-Surgery Services
What help will you need at home after joint replacement?
If you’ve struggled for years with joint pain, a total joint replacement can bring much-welcomed relief. But it’s not an instant fix. Your body will need time – from a few weeks to a few months – to heal and regain strength. During that period, you’ll likely need some help at home.
Everyone will take home an exercise program, and some will need at-home physical therapy, says Todd Gage, a physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery’s Joint Mobility Center in New York. Others may need a nurse to visit a few times a week in the first few weeks after surgery to check medications, temperature and blood levels.
But what about daily care and household chores? How much help will you need with bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning – and for how long?
These answers depend on your age, your health, your level of independence prior to surgery, the joint you had replaced (recovery from hip surgery is usually quicker than that for knee replacement) and whether you had one or both joints replaced, says Gage.
Prior to surgery, he recommends consulting a physical therapist who can estimate the level of help you’re likely to need. “Most people do fine if they have a spouse to help or a family member who can stay with them for a few weeks to lend a hand,” says Gage.
If you don’t have someone at home to assist you, your hospital social worker can help arrange for a home caregiver through an agency, he notes. Hiring someone on your own may be less expensive than going through an agency – around $13 per hour for light housework and help with daily living activities, compared with $18 for an agency caregiver. But you may be taking a risk by hiring someone on your own, says Susan Fraser, executive director of Shield Senior Services, formerly Home Caregivers Accreditation of America, in Three Rivers, Calif. “Agencies charge more, but they include income taxes, background checks and liability insurance for workers,” she says.
When using an agency, make sure it has a city or state business license, both liability and workers’ compensation insurance, and a dishonesty bond that covers theft in your home. Agencies can be found at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice.
– F.K. and Mary Anne Dunkin
