FEATURE
Get started by first assessing where people are at. This is easier when people have been under your care for a while, when they are new to your care ensure you know their normal capabilities. You may then want to run a risk assessment to ensure your plan is both safe and proactive. Check that they have all the appropriate equipment available. This might sound obvious, but not having glasses, hearing aids, well- fitting footwear or walking frame are some of the fastest ways to reduce mobility and interaction.
Start small, encourage people to do what is manageable for them, but also pushes them a little. Keep an eye on fluid intake and nutrition and general health and encourage, support and only ‘do for’ as a last resort.
Having run many #EndPJparalysis challenges, activities like ‘pimp my zimmer’, which is decorating your walking frame, are more than the sum of their parts. People love competition, it creates the purpose mentioned earlier. It also creates some boundary and makes it safe to engage. Pimp my zimmer, for example, not only encourages cognition, it enables people
to identify their own frame. Not wanting to take the wrong frame has been repeatedly cited as a reason for not moving by people reliant on the frame.
Creating a little competitive energy between units, wings, or care home or even individuals ups engagement and commitment while also preventing deconditioning.
Finally, remember that it really is a case of use it or lose it when it comes to functional ability in older age. The majority of seeming age related changes to muscles, mobility and ability are actually caused by lack of use. You can make a difference here.
The #EndPJparalysis campaign is a global social movement committed to reducing deconditioning by sharing best practice, research and expert talks.
www.healthservice360.co.uk www.endpjparalysis.org
twitter.com/TomorrowsCare
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