During your admission
Date issued: January 2024
Review date: January 2026
Ref: C-559/AC/Physiotherapy/During your admission
PDF: During your admission January 2024.pdf [pdf] 217KB
Do you have your own clothes with you?
Whilst you are in hospital we encourage all patients to wear their own clothes and shoes throughout their stay.
Why?
Wearing your own clothes helps to protect your dignity, increases motivation and self-esteem.
Family/friends and carers. Please support your loved ones and bring in clothing, shoes, personal hygiene products and any other essentials that will support your loved one during their stay.
Ask a member of staff for some anti slip socks for mobilising to reduce your risk of slipping and falls.
Exercises for you to complete daily
Ankle pumps
Point and flex your ankles throughout the day whilst laying in bed or sitting in your chair.
Straight leg raises
Raise your leg one at a time to clear the bed and hold for up to 5 seconds. You can also do this whilst sitting in your chair.
Static quads
Whilst laying in bed, tense your thigh muscles pushing your knee into the bed, hold for up to 5 seconds.
Seated marching
Whilst sat in your chair march your feet one at a time slowly and controlled. Aim to lift your knee as high as you comfortably can.
Whilst you are here
- Eat and drink independently.
- Raise any concerns to your nurse.
- If a physiotherapist reviews you on the ward it is important to engage and follow their advice.
- Mobilise out to the bathroom on the ward instead of using a commode.
- Wash and dress as independently as able, make use of the shower facilities, brush your teeth in the bathroom.
- If the physiotherapist has assessed you with a walking aid please use it! Please raise any concerns.
- Take a walk on the ward before and after mealtimes. Ask your nurse or Dr if you are able to leave the ward with family/friends/carers.
DID YOU KNOW...
Adults are at least 20% less active than in the 1960s. Estimates suggest that by 2030 we will be 35% less active.
Muscle mass decreases by approx.1.5 to 2% per day during bed rest.
It is estimated that older hospital patients may spend up to 95% of their time in bed or sitting in a chair.
It is often said that for every 10 days of bed rest in hospital, the equivalent of 10 years of muscle ageing occurs, in people over 80 years old.
