We visited a lady of 100 years of age at her home. Up to recently, she has been healthy, moving around and doing household work. She met with a fall and fractured her thigh bone (femur).
Surgery was proposed to fix it but the relatives did not consent for surgery.
The perceived risk by the relatives at the frail age is understandable. However, today this old lady is in utter misery. Bed ridden with two large pressure sores in the back and part of the fractured bone jutting out piercing the skin with oozing fluids ! We felt she would have better died on the operating table for fixing the fracture!
The quality of life following such major fractures decreases drastically. The burden of the disease to the individual, family and the community is immense. It is important that detailed counseling should be provided to the family members of long term consequences of not fixing such fractures, not only the immediate risk of dying during the surgery or after the surgery.
Prevention is always important. It is important to educate the families on prevention of fractures.
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