11th March 2025
The Southern Trust has teamed up with Age NI, to encourage patients in Loane House at South Tyrone Hospital to move more.
The ‘Move More Live More’ programme aims to support people to live well for longer, with a focus on staying strong, agile and preventing falls.
The programme, hosted by Claire McKeown, Age NI, provided patients with information on the importance of staying active to build confidence, strength, balance and improve overall health and wellbeing. It
included exercises, advice on nutrition and Tai Chi.
This was the first time the Age NI programme has been delivered in a hospital setting and with some adaptions to suit the patient group, was a great success as Loane House, Ward Manager, Andrea Ballantine explains: “We have a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of Allied Health Professionals, Nursing and Social Work staff, all committed to promoting rehabilitation to ensure that our patients can return to independence and get the most out of life.
“The Move More Live More programme really complements our drive to prevent PJ Paralysis and get patients up, dressed and keep moving. Feedback from patients has been very positive, even those who initially were unsure, afterwards reported that they found it very beneficial. The sessions were very enjoyable for both patients and staff. We look forward to working with AgeNI in the future.”
One patient reported: “I found this class really enjoyable and very beneficial as it got me moving and made me realise that there is a lot more I can do to help myself.” Another added: “The class was great, I couldn’t believe how much this helped me with moving and I was surprised with all the different things involved.”
Linda Robinson BEM Age NI Chief Executive Officer said: “We were delighted to work in partnership with the Trust’s multi-disciplinary team to deliver Move More Live More in a hospital setting. Move More Live More is an innovative, holistic programme, which has been shown to reduce participants’ fear of falling and improve their quality of life. We are living in an ageing society and it is more important than ever to find effective ways to help older people maintain their independence and quality of life as they grow older.”
Brian Beattie, Director of Adult Community Services for the Southern Trust added: “Research shows that people over the age of 80 can lose 10% of muscle mass for every 10 days they spend in hospital, which is the equivalent of 10 years of ageing. Along with other risks of reduced circulation, increased delirium and infection, during a prolonged hospital stay, frail older patients also experience a decline in ability to perform routine activities.”
“We are delighted to work in partnership with Age NI to promote maximum recovery and achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients. We also really welcome the support of families in joining this rehabilitation journey to ensure that that your loved ones can live the richest, fullest lives possible and reduce the chances of readmission to hospital.”