Last month, Emily faced a major setback in her recovery from a broken leg as she had a second surgery and another round of inpatient rehabilitation. Her Aging Life Care Manager® and her son Ben encouraged her through the struggle of restarting her recovery, and Emily began to improve. This month, Emily will begin to look towards the future of her health journey.
Recovering Confidence
Emily has continued physical therapy and can now walk unassisted. She still feels the side effects of the break, as stiffness and occasional pain linger in her leg. While she has become more optimistic about her recovery, Emily is still a bit nervous about returning to her usual hobbies and risking another break. Hiking and tennis had kept her active before, but since a tennis accident had caused the broken leg Emily was hesitant to start playing again, feeling like it wasn’t worth the risk. Hiking felt like a safer option, but the uneven terrain on many of her favorite trails was another opportunity for an accident.
The care manager saw Emily’s hesitation to return to her old activities. Knowing that Emily’s hesitation was due to fear of another accident, the care manager talked to Emily about slowly re-introducing more active hobbies. Emily thought this was a good idea but told the care manager that she was afraid of getting caught up in her favorite activities and pushing herself too far before she was ready. The care manager understood Emily’s concern and came up with a plan. First, she introduced Emily to a walking group that met in the morning a few times each week. This way, Emily could build endurance without the risk of rough terrain or feeling like she was slowing anyone down. The care manager then gave Emily a list of hikes around Bakersfield that were mostly flat and well-maintained. Emily enjoyed checking each hike off the list, gaining confidence with each trip. Finally, knowing that tennis was the biggest risk in Emily’s eyes, the care manager suggested that Emily start small, playing on a half court and only doing drills with friends. By avoiding competitive games at first, Emily could rebuild her familiarity and confidence on the court without getting caught up in the game and going too far.
Having a structured plan helped Emily return to her favorite activities with more confidence while reducing the risk of another accident.
Looking To The Future
Now that Emily wasn’t as focused on her immediate recovery, she began thinking about her long-term health. Experiencing a loss of independence while she couldn’t walk had showed Emily just how quickly and unexpectedly life could change. Emily wanted to be more proactive about living a healthy lifestyle. She also wanted to make a plan in case a medical emergency happened again. The care manager suggested that Emily also make decisions about what kinds of support and care she wanted as she aged. Together, Emily and the care manager came up with a plan to improve Emily’s health long-term and prepare for any additional support that would be needed. The plan included:
- Emergency Action: The care manager helped Emily and Ben create an emergency plan that included advance directives, first steps, and emergency contacts.
- Fall Prevention: To reduce the risk of an injury by fall, the care manager went over fall prevention information, including things to add or avoid in the home, and gave Emily a few balance exercises to add to her weekly routine.
- Bone Health: To keep Emily’s leg healthy and reduce the risk of any more bone issues, the care manager introduced a nutrition plan focused on bone health and encouraged hydration.
- Aging In Place: Emily wanted to stay in her home and live independently for as long as possible as she aged. The care manager reviewed the supports that were available if Emily needed more help, like adding adaptive technologies and hiring a caregiving aide to help with daily tasks. The care manager also helped Emily communicate her wishes to her family, ensuring that they would know what Emily wanted if she became unable to advocate for herself.
Aging With Confidence
With a structured plan in place, Emily was more optimistic about her future than ever. Her son Ben thanked the care manager for all she had done for Emily, knowing that his mother was in a better place than she had been even before she broke her leg. The care manager enjoyed seeing Emily live her best life with the confidence she needed to do what she loved.
Read Emily’s story from the beginning!
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