Elected mayor of Watford Peter Taylor visited Watford General on Friday 3 November to take part in the hospital’s new innovative care of the elderly training programme and experience first hand the physical limitations and difficulties faced by elderly patients.
Thanks to a successful application to the mayor’s Small Grants Fund, we were able to buy an age simulation suit which replicates the challenges of daily living for older individuals. The suit is particularly valuable for specialists dealing with conditions like dementia, frailty, and Parkinson’s disease. The frailty suit includes restrictors to make elbow and knee joints difficult to move; weights on wrists and ankles to simulate weakened muscle power; gloves and finger restrictors to reduce sense of touch and ability to grasp objects; a back brace which gives experience of stooped posture specific to ageing, and goggles and ear plugs to demonstrate impaired hearing and vision.
The care of the elderly training initiative aims to enhance the care and overall experience of elderly patients at West Herts. Mr Taylor, who is passionate about dementia care, was invited to take part in the training session and try on the suit.
“I am really pleased we have been able to fund this suit through the Mayor’s Small Grants Fund and it was great to see it in action today. As ever, I was so impressed by the care and professionalism of NHS staff and it was great to see the impact of this training. I want Watford to be a town where people of all ages can thrive and training sessions like these, where people can learn about the challenges that elderly people face, can help this become a reality.”
Elected mayor of Watford Peter Taylor
Our CEO Alison Rosen, highlighted the importance of the training. She said: “Often patients are stressed when they come into hospital and may find it difficult to communicate their needs. It is important to train staff fully to understand the challenges elderly patients face and to tailor the care to achieve the best possible health outcomes. We were delighted to receive the grant which made the purchase of the frailty suit possible and it was wonderful to have the mayor here taking part in the training.”
At the end of the training Mr Taylor presented a certificate to occupational therapy assistant Azizat, who had successfully completed the trusts’ care of the elderly training programme
