Join 四虎影院 at Baylor鈥檚 Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center for a panel discussion on The Broken Hip.
When an older person falls and breaks a hip, it鈥檚 a moment that changes everything. Not just for patients, but for their families, too. Falls are the leading cause of death for older Americans. One of every five people who breaks a hip after age 50 dies within a year. For those who survive, it means a big life change.
For the past several months, 四虎影院 has explored hip fractures in .
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Experts gathered at Baylor Tuesday night to discuss the issues surrounding broken hips. Here's more from Baylor livestreamed the event -- if you missed it, you can watch the discussion here:
Learn more about The Broken Hip
Explore the stories of North Texans and their families who have experienced this dramatic life change. Learn more about the research. And find out how to .
There are videos, radio stories and pictures to explore, too.
Stories from 四虎影院's Lauren Silverman include:
Chapter 1: Jeanette Mariani was an independent grandma. Then she fell and broke her hip 鈥� and everything changed.
Chapter 2: Barb Smelser is a North Carolina woman who frequently travels across the country to take care of her elderly father, Earl Schmalz, who fell and broke his hip. Learn about the special challenges that caregivers face.
Chapter 3: A fall prevention class at the University of Texas at Arlington helps participants to get stronger. Also, a North Texas hospital is working to reduce falls among patients, thanks to technology and teamwork. At John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, nurses and pharmacists work together to help patients. They're using electronic medical records -- and high-tech bed alarms that speak to patients.
Chapter 4: For Courtney Sands, last year was a nightmare. In December, at age 81, Sands landed in a hospital after slipping and breaking her wrist and hip. But she was determined to get back to her beloved home. Home design and technology have changed dramatically over the last two decades. Someone who's fractured a hip might once have been forced into a nursing home. Now it's possible to 鈥渁ge in place.鈥� Sands' desire to "fall-proof" her home is the focus of of .
Chapter 5: Dan McCoy knows the health care system inside and out. He鈥檚 a doctor and chief medical officer of the biggest insurer in Texas, Blue Cross Blue Shield. But even he couldn鈥檛 imagine what would happen after his dad fell and fractured his hip. Read of
Chapter 6: Repairing a broken hip has come a long way in the last century -- from ivory and rubber to precision titanium implants. The era of modern hip replacements started in the 1960s 鈥� and surgery techniques and biomaterial designs have evolved. Today, about 2.5 million Americans live with an artificial hip. Read of
Chapter 7: Finding out the price of a new car or a new phone isn鈥檛 so hard. But how about the price of a new hip? The cost of medical procedures like hip replacements can vary by thousands of dollars 鈥� even tens of thousands of dollars. Sean Cavanaugh, deputy director of the federal government鈥檚 Center of Medicare, talks about who鈥檚 paying what and why. Read of .
Chapter 8: Another type of fracture, just inches away from the hip, is becoming more common. Pelvic fractures can be just as devastating as hip fractures, and often take longer to heal. A broken pelvis brought one North Texas family closer together. Yu-ying Lee, who's 91, bounced back from a broken pelvis thanks in part to a supportive family. Read of .
Make your bedroom fall-proof: Find out how to .
On "Think"
In May, explored hip fractures with medical experts of Baylor Medical Center and of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
