Background: Numerous studies are available on hip fracture and rehabilitation outcomes. Some mention dementia but very few from family/proxy perspective.

Aim: To investigate whether cognitive state influences the hip fracture patients' rehabilitation outcomes as well as the proxies' perceptions of the 6-month rehabilitation period.

Design: A survey with structured and unstructured questions. Statistics and content analysis.

Methods: The questionnaire was sent to 40 proxies of hip fracture patients with and without cognitive impairement, 32 replied. Statistics and content analysis were used to analyse the data.

results: In the cognitively impaired group, physical function decreased (P=0.0241) as well as locomotion (P=0.0005) compared to pre-fracture. This group mainly participated in rehabilitation sessions in institutions (P=0.0001) and their main support came from nursing staff. The cognitively impaired group assessed the rehabilitation period as being of a much lower quality than the cognitively intact group (P=0.0048). In the impaired group, hindrances to rehabilitation were low level of staffing, and lack of access to rehabilitation resources such as physiotherapists.

Conclusions and relevance for clinical practice: Hip fracture patients are a dichotomous group and cognition is decisive for physical and social outcomes as well as type of rehabilitation support.