The Goal - Getting your loved ones back to their previous level of activity, and being able to do the things they enjoy without pain.
The Strategy – Helping them to stay active, positive and healthy.
The Plan – How involved is the caregiver or family member? Start by asking yourself, “How can I help?”
The help and support of family and friends is hugely important to the person having hip or knee replacement surgery. The operation is likely stressful to the patient, both physically and emotionally. You can make things much easier for them and help to speed up their recovery time!
It is often helpful to have someone (a family member or friend) attend the various appointments and clinic visits (both before and after surgery) with the patient to listen and take notes.
A person having hip or knee replacement surgery has limited body movement. This makes simple, everyday activities harder to do. If, for whatever reason, family or friends can’t provide this much-needed support, the next best thing is to arrange for temporary help.
For a list of resources available to you and the patient to help them get ready for surgery and manage their recovery at home, you can visit our Resources section.
Ask what kind of help and support you can provide each stage of the way - to get ready for surgery, during the hospital stay and for recovery at home.
You play an important part in setting up a physical and emotional support network for the patient! Your help and support can speed up their recovery.
Click on the tabs to learn more about how you can help and support the patient having hip or knee replacement surgery.