Question

THE CASE OF ANNE AND THE RUNAWAY STROLLER

Anne, a 75-year-old woman suffering from late-stage Alzheimer’s disease was walking to a neighborhood restaurant holding on the arm of her husband and a friend. Suddenly, a young woman, talking on her cell phone cell phone as she was running behind her stroller containing a young baby, ran towards Anne, veering to the side at the last second and then continued on her run. The quick movement of the stroller startled Anne who then fell onto the cement sidewalk. Her friend, a nurse, could tell by the angle of her leg, that Anne had probably broken her hip. Her husband called an ambulance which arrived in ten minutes. Anne was taken to a new hospital where she was diagnosed in the ER with a broken hip.

Anne was immediately to a room across from the nursing station, which had an open design, allowing her to be observed at all times. The nurses were frequently in her room to assess her condition. In addition, her room contained a built-in bed for close relatives to stay overnight. Anne had surgery the day after she was admitted. Her family came to take turns in spending time in her room so that Anne was never alone.

The protocol, or clinical plan of treatment, that the hospital used for all hip surgery patients was started immediately. She was up in a chair the day after surgery and started walking with assistance a short time later. The nursing staff and a discharge planner met with Anne’s husband and family, explaining the care she would need after surgery. Four days after surgery, Anne was discharged into a nursing home where she spent a week until her insurance coverage ran out. She then went home and received home health care a few hours a day for several weeks. However, her husband and children did provide much of the care when she was sent home. A month after surgery, Anne was walking with some assistance—but without a limp or pain. In other words, a late-stage Alzheimer’s patient had the same care and good results as other hip fracture patients have come to expect.

Case Questions

1. Do you believe that a patient with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease should have an expensive hip replacement surgery?
2. Or would it be more practical for a patient at her age and mental condition to have her hip immobilized instead of repairing it with surgery?
3. Do you believe that having Anne released from the hospital so early was an undue burden on her family?

Answer 1

Yes,i believe that the patient needs surgery whether she is in late stage alzhimers,she has the right to get treated and to live till her last stage .Otherwise,she may bear severe pain due to the fracture till her death.Thus,appropriate treatment should be given inorder to provide comfortable to patient.

I dont believe that she can be a burden to her family.They get assistwnce from the home health care for some care in a day.so that could be helpfull for them.i think she cooperates with her family while giving care after surgery and the family provides better care to care.That is the reason why she is able to walk like other hip fracture patient.