Present ideas for a hip Operation Patient?

Felicity

Hi, my Aunty is going to have a hip operation next week, I was wondering what to get her to pass the time.


Has anybody been through a similar experience? Do you have any ideas?


Thanks in advance, Felicity

DomRavioli

What does she like? that would be the starting point. If she's a TV/DVD person, get her a box set, or a month of netflix. if she likes puzzles, then jigsaws or puzzle books.

People have operations every day on joints, it depends on the person and how long they need to be entertained for.

jackyann

Maeve Binchy wrote a very funny book after her hip op, which your aunty might enjoy.
Assuming that she has all the "official" things she needs like the raised loo seat, check she has good slip on lightweight shoes (Ecco do a good pair) and bending to do up shoes / sandals is difficult & flip-flops are very bad!
She will be getting about quite quickly and building up strength, shouldn't be house / chair bound for long; but even so, there will be some hours to fill and the above suggestions are great.

good_advice

Hiya, not realy things to do but top of my list as gifts would be = lipsil, wetwipes and a small battery fan. All very usefull.

Quickly followed by a savelon type cream and tissues.. fruit juice.

Things to do - when my son was in hospital he greatly likes my travel DVD player. i took him dvd's from his room. Having not much idea of which he wanted i took in about 6 and he just picked the ones he wanted on each visit.

Reading is always good but now i only get the free ebooks for kindle.

A diffrent older lady I once gave some paper, envolope and pen so she could write a letter to one of her friends.

The same lady wile not moving much made a rug from a kit,

I think it is a bit hot for knitting.

Wishing your Auntie a speady recovery.

kingfisherblue

You don't say what your budget is, but having spent an awful lot of time in hospital (I have a disabled child and never leave him alone in hospital), the main thing that I always have is handcream. Hospitals are usually warm and this can dry the skin, especially older skin.


Other items that I would suggest are puzzle books, a small sewing kit if this is the sort of pastime she is likely to enjoy, books and magazines, an eyemask (hospitals have some lighting on overnight, which is difficult for those who are used to complete darkness), earplugs (as hospitals are noisy places!), decent cordial.


If you are visiting whilst your auntie is staying on the ward, she might appreciate some food - my local hospitals aren't known for their gourmet meals! Friends whose daughter was in hospital for surgery a couple of years ago were really appreciative of hot vegetable soup and other veggie meals - their choice was very limited in hospital, and a cheese roll each day isn't everyone's choice. I realise that your auntie might not be vegetarian, but non-veggie meals aren't great either.


I hope your auntie makes a speedy recovery, and I think that you are a great niece to think about what she would enjoy to pass the time whilst in hospital.

MrsAtobe

One of the things I hated about being in hospital was having to drink warmish water that had been stood for ages. Is there any way you could freeze some bottles of water and pop them into a cool bag for her?

Indie_Kid

I think the last time I was in hospital, I was brought some bottles of flavoured water.

growler834

Have you been told how long your aunty is expected to be in hospital for? My dad, at 78, had a full hip replacement last year and he was only in for 3 days. They get patients up & about doing physio the next day & our Health Trust only keep patients longer if there are serious problems. Patients get sent home with all the appliances they need (usually) ie. crutches, toilet seat, grabber to pick things up from floor, thing that helps you put socks & shoes on etc. The only thing we had to buy dad was a seat for the bathroom that he could sit on to help him swing his legs into bath etc.
I suggest, whatever your aunts hobbies are, that you don't get her anything that involves sitting down too long (ie DVD films, jigsaws etc) as patients are supposed to get up & move about regularly & she may sit for too long in one position.

Felicity

Wow, some brilliant ideas. Thank you everybody. I love the book idea ... well all the ideas. Will have a look on Amazon.

margaretclare

I agree about the warmish water - yuck! When DH was in hospital - admittedly for longer than Auntie is likely to be - I used to take ice cubes in a thermos flask, the kind with a wide neck used for soup on picnics.

Anything to keep her cool and smelling nice. Water in form of aerosol to spray on her face. Nice-smelling 'wet wipes' maybe the kind that Body Shop sell.

They most definitely do NOT allow you to lie around for long in hospital these days! The emphasis is on getting you up and getting you mobile ASAP.

Me, I liked books downloaded from Audible on my iPod. Has she a tablet, a kindle, anything like that?

MrsC....tobe

Best thing we got for my father in law for when he was home after his hip replacement op was a hospital type trolley table that he could pull over his lap infront of him. This meant he could basically do whatever he needed to (eating, puzzles, jigsaws, even work on his laptop etc) without having to go and sit at the dining room table. We got it off ebay and was only about £15 delivered. It now is used in the corner of the room to sit the printer on!