Eashing, Hindhead and Elstead Wards highlight Falls Awareness Week | News

Frailty staff on Elstead, Eashing and Hindhead Wards are running a competition to see who can get the most patients out of their pyjamas and into their clothes as part of Falls Awareness Week (20-26 September).

The teams came up with the idea thanks to the #EndPJParalysis campaign, which aims to highlight the problems of patient ‘deconditioning’.

Because of the effects of isolation during the pandemic, many patients are suffering from reduced mobility and activity, known as ‘deconditioning’. The loss of mobility and muscle tone can put patients at a higher risk of falling and affects their cognitive ability too.

Staying active, even just by doing small things, such as getting dressed, walking to the toilet, having a shave, can help prevent deconditioning and reduce the risk of falls, as well as help cut the length of hospital stays.

The End PJ Paralysis challenge is all about encouraging patients wherever possible to get dressed in their day clothes and to keep as active as possible (while still socially distancing) during their hospital stay.  

The three wards will be seeing which one can encourage the most patients to be dressed by lunchtime. And there will be a prize for the winner (thank you to M&S for helping with this).

Alison Lambert, Falls Lead Nurse, said: “Helping patients protect against muscle loss is vital for falls prevention. Think ‘use it, don’t lose it’.

“As nurses and healthcare assistants, we have a key role to play in encouraging and helping patients do simple tasks to protect muscle strength. These can include walking patients to the toilets, rather than giving commodes or bottles, encouraging patients to brush their own teeth and hair and get dressed each day. Although we always balance encouraging independence with the need to ensure our patients’ safety.”

Staff at Milford Hospital are also involved in the End PJ Paralysis campaign. They are currently running a quality improvement project focusing on getting patients up, dressed and moving.

Click the link https://endpjparalysis.org/ if you would like to find out more about the campaign.