Elderly people are prone to osteoporosis leading to fractures, and fractures in the elderly are not easy to heal. Proper clinical nursing and rehabilitation guidance for elderly patients with fractures, as well as appropriate early functional exercise, are key to treating and preventing disability in the elderly. Below, we will share with you how to provide care for elderly fracture patients, hoping to help more patients' families and friends.
1、 How to care for elderly fractures?
The pain and emotional tension caused by trauma during a fracture can lead to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases as well as other complications. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly observe the vital signs of the elderly, and if any changes in the disease are found, promptly notify the doctor for necessary treatment.
2. Regularly gently pat the patient's chest and back. Elderly fracture patients may not dare to take deep breaths or cough due to pain, and they often maintain a supine position, which can make it difficult for secretions in their respiratory tract to be discharged, leading to partial obstruction and secondary infection of the respiratory tract. So, when caring for elderly people with fractures, in addition to frequently helping them change positions, it is also necessary to gently pat their chest and back frequently to facilitate their phlegm discharge.
3. Make good dietary adjustments for patients. Elderly fracture patients often refuse to drink more water during bed rest due to concerns about excessive urination, which can lead to concentrated urine and easily lead to urinary tract infections over time. So, we should encourage them to drink more water. In addition, it is necessary to increase the nutritional content in the patient's diet. Patients with fractures need a high protein, high calorie diet to repair damaged tissues in their body. To achieve this, they can eat more chicken, pork, fish, etc. Many people believe that they should drink more bone soup after a fracture. Experts believe that patients with fractures should not drink bone soup. Because fracture patients need to stay in bed for a long time, their digestive function is poor. If they consume a large amount of bone soup, it will affect their gastrointestinal absorption function and even cause diarrhea, which is not conducive to the recovery of fractures.
4. Psychological care is crucial for bedridden elderly people, especially when their self-care ability gradually decreases, they often have a great psychological burden, manifested as irritability, excitement, despair, or fear. At this point, family members must provide sufficient care to the elderly, allowing them to relax and actively cooperate with treatment in order to quickly get rid of the disease.
2、 How to recover from elderly fractures?
1. Raise the affected limb and eliminate swelling.
2. Exercise the joints at the ends of the limbs, and the fingers and toes should be moved multiple times a day; 3. Apply functional exercise equipment for continuous passive activity, 1-3 times a day, for 30-60 minutes each time.
From 3-6 weeks to 8-10 weeks after injury, the fracture has basically healed. If external fixation such as plaster is removed, muscle strength exercise should be gradually increased. After reaching a certain level of muscle strength, gradually increase resistance exercises. Due to the initial healing of the fracture, joint movement should be cautious.
4. The fracture has healed, and the main pathological changes are soft tissue adhesion inside and outside the joint, ligament contraction, and muscle atrophy. The purpose of rehabilitation treatment is to enhance muscle strength, overcome contraction, and move the joint. Method: Exercise with muscle strength: Exercise under resistance to gradually enhance muscle strength. Joint exercise: Active exercise: Different joints have different ranges of motion; Passive exercise: using the healthy limb or equipment to assist in movement; Practice rhythmically alternating active and passive activities under active control.