The surgeon listed her in June and the date might be next spring, so there is an unusual amount of time to prepare. She is 74, lives alone, and her main worry is not managing the stairs afterwards. We have started on the practical side - generally getting stronger, sorting out the bedroom, working out who can stay with her - but I would like to hear from people who waited a long time: what did you do with those months that actually made the recovery easier, and what turned out not to matter at all?
I have had both my hips replaced. The right hip in 2021 and the left one last year. I was able to go private so didn’t wait long. It is important to be as strong as possible beforehand as it just makes the early weeks and overall recovery easier. Exercising is of course very difficult when you need a hip replacement. I found aqua and aqua Zumba classes super helpful.
They should make sure mum knows how to safely navigate stairs before discharge. Do make sure there are no loose floor coverings and that hand rails are secure. She won’t be able to get off anything low for a while so it’s helpful to think where and how she will sit, buying chair raisers if necessary. Also a raised toilet seat. Dressing is difficult at first, I found a sock puller helpful.
She will probably be advised to sleep on her back for the first 6 weeks so it’s worth finding out how to do this comfortably. I bought a specialist neck support pillow which made this easier. I didn’t get on with anything that tried to set me to sleep propped up.
If she doesn’t have access to a walk in shower then a bath board is essential for safely getting over the bath sides to shower. It will be some weeks before she can sit in a bath.
I was able to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs, lying on the opposite side to my surgery. A raised toilet seat is important as is a chair with the seat higher than her knee when standing. You should get good advice from the hospital as to all she will need.