Preventing Frailty in Hospital Through Mobilizing

When people get older, their health can vary a lot, even if they're the same age. Some older adults can become 'frail,' which means they are more vulnerable, weaker, and can struggle more with everyday activities. If someone is frail when they go into hospital, they are much more likely to find it harder to get back to their usual self afterwards. They might have difficulty with things like eating, getting out of bed, or using the toilet, and might even need to stay in hospital for longer or come back soon after being discharged.

We know that staying active and moving around, rather than lying or sitting for long periods, can really help prevent and improve frailty. Even just walking outside your room once a day in hospital can lead to a shorter stay. We've previously done some work in a hospital in Canada where specialists called Kinesiologists helped patients move around regularly. We saw good results, with patients becoming less frail.

Now, we're taking this a step further in another hospital. They already have Kinesiologists helping patients move daily on certain wards. We want to see how well this program is working and if giving patients even more support and encouragement to be active – like visiting them multiple times a day instead of just once – makes an even bigger difference. We'll be using special devices to track activity and doing health checks to see if these efforts help patients leave the hospital healthier and reduce their chances of needing to come back.