Heartbeat: Friends’ donation gets patients moving
February 15, 2019
An £18,000 donation from the League of Friends at City and Sandwell Hospitals is helping to get patients on our community wards moving more. The money has been used to purchase three Thera-Trainers – specially adapted bikes which allow patients to exercise their legs or upper body from a chair or wheelchair.
Heartbeat spoke to Advanced Physiotherapist, Matthew Craven to find out how the bikes are making a difference to patients.
“A few months ago we had a Thera- Trainer on loan from a company,” said Matthew.
“We audited its use and found that we were using it with several patients everyday so I decided to put in an application for funding from the League of Friends.
“Thankfully it was accepted and Sandwell Hospital League of Friends funded two Thera-Trainers, one for Leasowes Intermediate Care Centre and Henderson Unit at Rowley Regis Hospital whilst City Hospital League of Friends provided the funding for the machine on D47.
“The patients we work with are medically fit for discharge from hospital, but they often require assistance with their mobility to help them with their walking or recover their ability to do daily activities.”
Often the patients that Matthew and the intermediate care physiotherapists work with are in their 80s and 90s, so using conventional equipment for their therapy is not normally possible.
Matthew explained: “In most circumstances, we couldn’t ask an 85 year old patient to climb onto a traditional exercise bike, but the beauty of the Thera-Trainer is that there is no climbing required at all. You can simply wheel a wheelchair in or transfer the patient to a normal chair if they are able and they can use the trainer to cycle with their legs or their hands – or both if they are feeling particularly energetic!”
Patients can spend between 10 and 30 minutes on the Thera-Trainer, depending on their level of tolerance, but Matthew said they have definitely seen an increase in the patients’ motivation for their therapy sessions since the trainers were delivered.
“Previously, we would be asking patients to do exercises such as 10 leg raises or 10 arm raises, which could become fairly boring for them, especially when they have a therapy session every day.
“But the Thera-Trainers have screens on which allow them to play little games whilst they are exercising. They can pedal to move a car around a track and it also tells them how fast or how far they are going – it is much more motivating for them.
“They find it really enjoyable and we are finding that more patients are wanting to use the trainers outside of their therapy session which is fantastic. The more exercise they are doing – the quicker their recovery will be.”
Ernest Loynes, aged 91, has really enjoyed using the bike: “It’s fantastic – I never thought I would ride a bike again at my age, but I can work up a sweat without worrying about falling off.”
Matthew is full of praise for the League of Friends: “I can’t say how grateful we are to the League of Friends at both City and Sandwell Hospitals.
“The money they donated for us to be able to purchase the Thera-Trainers has made such a difference to our patients already and I know the equipment will continue to help us to provide a better level of therapy and get patients back to their families sooner.”