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About 340,000 older Americans fracture their hips each year. Hip fractures can lead to disability and difficulty managing daily activities and can increase risks of death.

Older-old people, those with less social support, and those with many health problems usually don't recover as well, and run a higher risk of death, after a hip fracture than others. So do people who are depressed, studies have found.

Other studies have found that optimists, on the other hand, tend to recover better and live longer after heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and heart surgery.

New Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

To see whether optimists might also recover faster and more fully and run lower risks of death after hip fractures than others do, researchers recently studied 432 adults. All were 65 or older and where hospitalized for hip fractures.

The researchers evaluated the adults during their hospitalizations and 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months later. Among other things, the researchers gave each of the adults tests to determine how depressed or, on the other hand, how optimistic or positive they were.

The researchers also reviewed the adults' medical records, and asked them questions to find out how well they could handle daily activities. And they gave the adults tests to see how well they were recovering. The researchers, for example, checked how quickly the adults could walk - both at their usual pace and at their fastest pace.

Older adults who were very positive, or optimistic, recovered better after their hip fractures than those who had symptoms of depression, the researchers found.

It's not entirely clear why, they note. One possibility is that people who are positive or optimistic may be more motivated to recover and, as a result, more closely follow their healthcare provider's recommendations. Another possibility is that optimistic people may have more social support during recovery than those who are depressed. Some research suggests that optimistic people may actually be different both physically and psychologically and, as a result, have better physical functioning throughout their lives.

In light of the new findings, patients who are depressed may need more help recovering from hip fracture and may need this help longer, the researchers conclude.

What Should I Do?

The summary above is from the full report titled, "Elderly Hip Fracture Patients with Positive Affect Have Better Functional Recovery Over 2-Years." It is in the July 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Volume 54, Issue 7). The report is authored by Lisa Fredman, PhD, William G. Hawkes, PhD, Sandra Black, PhD, Rosanna M. Bertrand, PhD, and Jay Magaziner, PhD, MSHyg.