Breaking a leg can be a very troublesome and traumatic experience. When a friend or family member in your life is placed on crutches due to a broken leg, surgery, or another injury that needs time to heal, they may not realize how hard it will be to function in the upcoming weeks. In order to help that person in your life recover as quickly as possible, you might want to pitch in and help where you can. Here are a few things you can do:
TIP #1: HELP THEM KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF THE LEG
When the injured person goes home, he is likely given a pair of crutches to get around the house and everywhere else he needs to go. When he reaches his first flight of stairs, however, he might be stumped as to how he is going to handle maneuvering himself around the world until he is recovered. You can help by being around in order to help him keep all of his weight off his injury. That might mean a shoulder to lean on, extra balance, or making trips up and down the stairs for supplies for him. Whatever you can do to help him keep the leg at rest, you should do.
TIP #2: HELP THEM FOLLOW THE DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Your friend or family member’s doctor will likely have given him quite a few instructions. If you were not able to be with him, make sure he gets them all in writing so you can help him follow the instructions closely. The doctor has experience in the recovery field, and if your friend follows the directions he is given, he will simply recover faster. However, when you have an injury that is painful, it is hard to concentrate on all of the little details. That is where you come in. Set up a schedule for your friend so that he takes the right pills and prescriptions at the right time. Make sure he eats three square meals a day plus some nutritious snacks in between. Get him up and moving as often as the doctor has instructed and make sure he gets the correct amount of rest as well. Following the doctor’s orders is one of the most important ways you can help your injured friend or family member.
TIP #3: PITCH IN
It is hard for an active person to sit around the house and watch things go undone. Take inventory of the things that need to get done and then either do them yourself or make arrangements for someone else to take care of them. Those things might be items like cooking, cleaning, lawn care, laundry, child transportation, and care, and plenty more. Imagine your own life on one leg and decide what you would struggle with most and then make sure your friend doesn’t have to worry about it himself.
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