Home Healthcare Better for Knee and Hip Replacement Recovery

Research shows that when an individual returns home after having a hip or knee replacement, he or she recovers better, or as well as, an individual who first goes to a rehabilitation center. This is the case even if an individual lives alone, or without family or friends, according to least one of the three studies performed. Most patients are perfectly happy to recover at home, which does not appear to put them at any increased risk for complications or hardship. In fact, in the past, while it was common for a patient recovering from hip or knee replacement to enter a rehabilitation center, at least on a temporary basis, as many as 90% of patients now simply return home.

One study showed that patients who return home directly after total knee replacement face lower risks of complications and hospital readmission than those who first go to a rehab facility. A second study showed that when patients entered a rehabilitation facility following a hip replacement, they became at higher risk for respiratory, wound, and urinary complications.

While the living situation of some patients makes going directly home impossible, most experts agree that allowing a patient to go directly home following this type of surgical procedure is ideal, as it allows them to resume their normal routines as quickly as possible.  Being institutionalized for rehabilitation only reinforces the idea that a patient is “sick,” which tends to slow down recovery. Being at home, on the other hand, forces patients to go about their normal activities and use the new joints as quickly as possible.

When home health care or long-term care becomes a necessity, you want your loved one to be as safe and cared for as possible. At Boller & Vaughan, we are all too familiar with the rampant abuse and neglect that often occurs in understaffed, underfunded, overcrowded nursing homes and the possibilities for abuse in a home healthcare or community based residential facility situation. We have investigated many allegations of abuse and neglect, including those that have resulted in serious injuries to elderly residents, thus giving rise to a claim for damages against the responsible person and/or facility. Allow us to look into the background of your situation, evaluate the many options that may be available to you, and help you decide what move to make next. Contact the Wisconsin nursing home neglect attorneys of Boller & Vaughan, and see what help we have to offer you.