Family caregiving in cases of hip fracture.

The growing incidence and cost and the serious nature of hip fracture in the elderly require a closer examination of the family's role in the rehabilitation process and how it can be assisted in that role. In this prospective study, 57 family caregivers provided information before the hospital discharge of the patient with hip fracture and at 2, 8, and 14 weeks postdischarge. They were asked about caregiving demands and problems, caregiver mood, expectations about recovery, and advice to future caregivers. A brief follow-up was conducted at 6 months. The care recipients were all women and had been living at home before injury. The postdischarge location of the patient (e.g., in a residence shared with the caregiver, in a different residence, or in a nursing home) was a major factor in the types of caregiving activities but not in total demand. Nonspouses cited the most problems. Mood distress did not change over time. Caregivers appeared to have unrealistic expectations about the length of the recovery period; by 14 weeks, 35% judged the care recipient's mobility to be worse than expected, and 20% felt that the patient had more pain than expected. The most frequent advice to future caregivers was to have patience and to give encouragement.