Peak Living - Fall 2010 - (Page 9)

ovement has always been associated with health, whether it happens on a dance floor, a basketball court, or even with the stroke of a paint brush over canvas. Movement represents vitality, strength and well-being. On the ortho/neuro/spine unit at Memorial Hospital Central, where patients recover from total knee or hip replacement surgeries, movement is a top priority to ensure faster, better healing. Patients who have surgery in the morning, for instance, are up and out of bed by the afternoon. By the next day, patients are walking up stairs. In the past year, Memorial Hospital Central’s new approach to aftersurgery care has enabled people to go home from the hospital sooner than ever after total joint replacement surgery. “We do our darnedest to get people up,” said Jae Sanders, care manager of the ortho/neuro/spine unit. “These were people who were at the grocery store the day before, and there’s no reason they should be stuck in bed. They’re not sick people, they are people who have had surgery.” M Small Act, Big Results In March 2009, a physical therapist and nurses on the ortho/spine unit, with the blessing of orthopedic surgeons, challenged co-workers to get patients out of bed on the day of surgery instead of allowing them to stay in bed. That seemingly simple act paid off in shorter overall hospital stays for patients. In the past, patients spent an average of 3.1 days in the hospital, with those age 65 and older spending an average of five days. Now, people with knee replacements spend an average of 2.7 days in the hospital and those who have hip replacements spend 2.6 days in the hospital. The national average is 3.6 days for knee replacements and 4.6 days for hip replacements, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Replacing a Worn-Out Hip Before he had total hip replacement surgery, Robyn Sleeth spent time talking with his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ed Szuszczewicz, about what to expect Back in PhotograPhy by anslee Wolfe Memorial Hospital Central’s new approach to postsurgery care puts joint replacement patients on a faster road to recovery action FA L L 2 0 1 0 | 9

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Peak Living - Fall 2010

Peak Living - Fall 2010
Contents
Health Beat
Q&A
Girl Power
Back In Action
Pay It Forward
Focus On Food
Community Calendar
Hope & Healing

Peak Living - Fall 2010