Fewer hip operation patients needing nursing home or convalescent care

Some 84% of fractured hips last year followed falls in or near the home, with auditors urging older people to make sure houses are safe and to keep active. File picture: Larry Cummins

Better communication between hospitals and community care has resulted in more older people returning directly home after hip operations than before the pandemic.

The Irish Hip Fracture Database report, for 2017 to 2021, measures care for patients over 60 who suffered hip fractures. Some 30% of these patients returned home without needing nursing home or convalescent care last year, a jump of 8% since 2017.