Unique Program Increases Mobility in Aged Care Plus Residents
Residents at Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Plus Centre enjoying their weekly exercise routine. (Photo by Adam Hollingworth)
Elderly residents who are experiencing pain on a daily basis are being treated with a unique multi-faceted lifestyle approach, under a new program at The Salvation Army’s Aged Care Plus.
According to the Department of Health and Ageing’s Pain and Mobility Kit for Aged Care, recent studies have estimated that between 26% and 86% of residential aged care residents experience pain on a regular basis.
“We have found that often in our residents, a combined treatment method that uses both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies is more likely to relieve pain than a single treatment option,” says Aged Care Plus Chief Operating Officer, Maryann Curry.
Physiotherapists work closely with care managers, residents and families to ensure the highest possible care is given to each resident. “Each of our residents are assigned a ‘Pain and Mobility’ team,” says Maryann. “This usually consists of the resident, their family, nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals and care workers.”
Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Plus Centre in Sydney’s Arncliffe also has an exercise class that runs twice a week for residents, taught by a local Summit Health and Fitness instructor.
Ms Win Pack, a resident of Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Plus Centre participates regularly in the classes and says, “The classes keeps me strong and motivated.”
“Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Plus Centre promotes and facilitates a healthy lifestyle for each of its residents, both physically and emotionally,” says Macquarie Lodge Centre Manager Maryanne Gray. “It’s important for our residents to be as physically healthy as possible because this triggers wellness in mind as well.”
Pain can limit mobility, decrease social interactions, decrease appetite and alter sleep and rest patterns. The Aged Care Plus Centre pain and mobility teams work towards clearly established, unique goals to eliminate this - either to eliminate pain entirely, or decrease pain to bearable levels.
Ms Pack says thanks to regular exercises she is still walking unaided, “even in my 80s and I still have a little heel on my shoes!”
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