Ways to maintain independence among Taiwanese elderly adults with hip fractures: a qualitative study

The majority of persons who experience hip fracture do not regain their prefracture functional level. Independence may be compromised; however, there is little information on ways to maintain independence among elders who experience hip fracture. The aim of this study was to explore ways that elders maintain independence while coping with hip fractures. A qualitative approach with semistructured interviews was used in this study. A purposeful sample of 15 community-dwelling elders who had experienced a hip fracture in the previous year were interviewed. The data show 3 major ways that independence was maintained: through social support, resilience, and acceptance of the natural process. Clinicians need to determine how they can best foster social support to help elders maintain resilience and engage with them in conversations about the positive and negative aspects of the aging process to promote independence.