Preparing Your Home for After Joint Replacement Surgery
Your recovery period plays an important role in the success of your joint replacement surgery. During your hospital stay, which will be about one to four days, you will spend a lot of time resting, taking good care of the surgical site, and starting physical therapy.
You don’t want to use this initial recovery time to plan your home set-up. This is ideally done before your surgery.
Preparing your home for recovery
• Declutter
The first thing you need to do is declutter. Having space in your home is vital for safety.
Look around you and assess if you have enough space to walk around without bumping into anything. If you want to be more precise, you can use a measuring tape to make sure you have at least 3 feet of space to walk through.
• Install fall prevention devices
Walking is important for your recovery. The sooner you can start walking, the better.
Aside from decluttering, installing fall prevention devices is also important in making sure that you have a safe, walking space. Some of the most helpful fall prevention devices include:
- Handrail in the bathtub or shower and next to the toilet
- A raised toilet seat
- A non-slip mat in the bathtub
- Nightlights
• Designate a recovery area
Your recovery area is basically a spot in your house where you can relax. This means it should have a sturdy chair that’s high enough to sit down and get up from. You should also have easy access to things you commonly need such as your phone, TV remote, medications, books, and snacks (including bottles of water).
• Consider your sleeping quarters
Sleep is vital for recovery. However, if your bedroom is on the second floor, you may want to consider moving your sleeping quarters.
You may convert your main living space into your temporary bedroom. In this way, it will be easier for you to get up and move around.
• Plan your meals or how you can get your meal
Just like sleep, what you eat also plays a role in your recovery. Before surgery, you may want to stock up your freezer with ready meals. Make sure, too, that you have access to the online grocery or ready-to-eat food service delivery.
If help is available, you can ask your friend or relative to help you with cooking. As much as possible, stick with a well-balanced diet – that is, meals rich in nutrient-dense food like vegetables, fruits, and lean meats.
• Have available help
Initially, having some form of help is needed after surgery. You may ask a friend or relative to stay with you to help you with some tasks, at least during the initial recovery period. If this is not possible, arranging in-home care will be a better alternative.
The more help you have, the better and more successful your recovery will be.