Family Ties Bring Nonagenarian to Lehigh Valley for Hip Fracture Care

When Joan Robbins fell and broke her hip in early February at her son’s home in northeast Pennsylvania, her family decided there was one thing that had to happen: Her surgery and follow-up care had to be with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN).

Robbins, 90, is from tiny Wyoming Borough, a municipality along the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County about halfway between Pittston and Forty Fort.

“We wanted her at Lehigh Valley for two equally important reasons,” says Robbins’ daughter, Debbie Ostrofsky, of Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. “We knew she would get the best care for her hip, and she also would be closer to us.”

Robbins, who is mobile again and often uses a walker, says she’s always been healthy and hadn’t been in the hospital for about 40 years. “The people that were helping me were fabulous,” she says. “They were very patient, because I’m not a patient person.”

Robbins’ granddaughter, Robin Heller, a bed management manager at LVHN, says she wanted her grandmother transferred because she trusted LVHN clinicians and the trauma team. “I knew the care wouldn’t stop in the emergency room and that my grandmother would need post-surgical follow-up care,” Heller says.

Heller, a registered nurse, previously worked with Joseph Stirparo, MD, in the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Muhlenberg. “I knew Dr. Stirparo and the others at LVH–Muhlenberg would care for my grandmother and she would have the best care from start to finish, including therapy and home care.”

Trauma surgeon Kathryn Wheel, MD, LVPG General and Trauma Surgery–Muhlenberg, says LVHN was able to access the scans done at the hospital near Robbins’ home where she was initially taken after her fall. They then coordinated with orthopedics to schedule her surgery.

Orthopedic surgeon Mitchell Cooper, MD, LVPG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine–2775 Muhlenberg, says Robbins suffered an intertrochanteric hip fracture, one of the two most common types of hip fractures. During a short operation, Dr. Cooper inserted a rod and screws to stabilize Robbins’ hip fracture and allow it to heal. Typically, patients like Robbins are putting full weight on the injured joint within six weeks. Robbins continues follow-up with Dr. Cooper’s office.

Without surgery, hip fractures like Robbins’ would not heal correctly, leading to a possible loss of mobility, Dr. Cooper says.

Robbins spent two weeks in the hospital, including inpatient rehabilitation. Her fall experience is not unique. About 300,000 seniors, age 65 and older, are hospitalized each year in the U.S. with hip fractures, mainly from falls. Women experience three-quarters of those fractures. Women fall more than men and more often have osteoporosis, which weakens bones.

Ostrofsky says everyone at LVH–Muhlenberg, from doctors to case managers to physical therapists, was compassionate and caring. “Our entire family had the best experience,” she says. “I was able to relax knowing my mom was in good hands.”

Robbins says she was always being taken care of at LVH–Muhlenberg. “There was never a dull moment,” she laughs. She adds she feels good and is glad to have had such great care, both in and out of the hospital. “At my age, I feel glad I can walk,” Robbins says.

Dr. Stirparo, Associate Chief, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, saw Robbins several times during her hospital stay. He says age is merely a number. “If you are functioning at 90, our goal is to have you functioning at 91,” he says. “Having people you know care for your loved one is a big deal. We do our best to extend our trauma family out to any family who needs our help.”

Joan Robbins would surely agree.