THURSDAY, March 26, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For older adults, postsurgical recovery takes longer than anticipated, according to a study published online March 13 in JAMA Network Open.
Nelly Toledano, from the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto, and colleagues characterized older adults' and caregivers' recovery experiences in the first six months after surgery in a mixed-methods prospective nested cohort study. Participants included adults aged 65 years or older with a Clinical Frailty score of 4 or more who were recovering after major elective noncardiac surgery and their caregivers.
A total of 204 older adults and 85 caregivers participated in surveys, and 43 older adults and 20 caregivers participated in interviews. The researchers found that 64 percent of older adults had more than one instrumental activities of daily living impairment at two months postoperatively, decreasing to 42 percent six months after surgery; 33 and 19 percent, respectively, had more than one activities of daily living impairment at two and six months postoperatively. Themes related to the recovery experience included: insufficient patient and caregiver education, preparation for surgery, and discharge; the association of reduced independence with patient and caregivers; the association of surgery with mental health; and postoperative support from the health care team. Wanting to be better prepared for surgery and discharge was reported by all participants.
"These findings are quite startling and highlight the challenges older adults and their caregivers face recovering from surgery," coauthor Shabbir Alibhai, M.D., also from the University of Toronto, said in a statement. "We need to figure out better ways to improve this recovery process."
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.