Our ward physiotherapist Lindsey not only made one pledge but made two pledges for FAB Change Week!!
For her first pledge she pledged to set up a falls education group on the ward.
Many of our patients are admitted following a fall or are at risk of falling. She researched the area of falls prevention and decided on some dates every two weeks to deliver the sessions.
She devised a poster to inform the patients of the group that is displayed on the ward falls education notice board.
The groups are held in the dayroom and facilitated by Lindsey and one of the rehab assistants. They talk to the patients in a group about falls prevention and empower them to come up with ideas of possible environmental hazards in the home that may contribute to falls .....a very animated conversation occurred on one these sessions about a ladies king size duvet on a single bed and how it could be a trip hazard!
The conversations in the group help the patients to realise what could contribute to falls, such as hazards, medications, poor eyesight or hearing, sloppy slippers to name a few. And also what they could do to help themselves to prevent a fall.
Education and advice on AIDS and sources of help are shared. It is difficult to be able to quantify the impact of the group but the feedback from the patients is very positive with one lady saying how much she had learnt from the sessions and how comfortable and supported she felt talking in the group.
Lindsey's second pledge was to set up a washing and dressing group. This group has yet to start as she needed the assistance of an Occupational Therapist to run it and until recent recruitment we have been managing with limited locum cover. Her idea is to have an exercise group focussing on the issues of difficulties in washing and dressing such as being able to reach to independently put socks on and build in physiotherapy exercises and occupational therapy knowledge and aids to achieve this in order to maximise independence for the patients with these functional activities. Lindsey has plans to start these groups very soon.