Easy ways to prevent falls and protect mobility
Falling and breaking a hip takes only an instant. But the recovery that follows can rob you of your mobility and independence for years. "What we see most of the time, especially with hip fractures, is that it can take up to a year to fully recover. But up to a third of patients won't be able to walk by themselves after a year, and might need a cane or a walker for another year or two," says Dr. Esteban Franco-Garcia, director of geriatrics inpatient fracture trauma services at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
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