We encourage patients to get out of bed, wear their own clothes and be as mobile as possible as part of the ‘Sit Up, Get Dressed, Keep Moving’ Campaign. Carers can help by bringing comfortable daytime clothing and shoes for their relative or friend.
When patients are up, dressed and moving about they feel more positive and are less likely to lose muscle strength. We know 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, and building this muscle strength back up takes twice as long it does to deteriorate. This can lead to people having to stay in hospital longer or losing their independence. And it’s not just older people who lose muscle strength, it can happen to all age groups albeit at different levels.
“Little things like this can have a huge impact not only on someone’s independence and confidence, but also their mental health and wellbeing too. Our patients who get themselves dressed and up and about tell us that they feel much better and many are able to go home sooner too, which is fantastic.”
Alison Raycraft, Lead Nurse for Older People