Supporting older patients to remain active and engaged during their hospital stay is a challenge UQ Masters of Occupational Therapy Studies students are assisting with at The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital.
The Eat Walk Engage programme takes a multi-disciplinary approach to improving care for older people in hospital, preventing delirium and promoting recovery.
The Eat Walk Engage team and occupational therapy assistants have been working together to provide older patients with single-use activity packs, using resources donated by Staedtler Australia, Woolworths Gardens City and the Sic Temple Brisbane.
Packs include colouring in, crossword activities, sudoku, colouring pencils and sharpeners.
UQ Masters of Occupational Therapy Studies student, Ellie Thiess led an evaluation of these activity packs as part of her clinical placement at QEII recently.
“Patients gave us a 9.7/10 rating on average and told us the activities we provided are great and similar to what they would do at home,” Ellie said.
The Eat Walk Engage programme has been implemented on medical and surgical wards at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, The Prince Charles Hospital, and Caboolture and Nambour Hospitals where evaluation showed a 42 per cent reduction in delirium and a 46 per cent increase in discharge home.
Ellie Thiess was one of several UQ Masters of Occupational Therapy Studies students who conducted their clinical placement for a Metro South Health public health service.
The article was originally published on the Metro South Health website.
