We love this idea and reckon it would be great to see it take off here on the Isle of Wight.
Essex County Council have been running a “Pimp My Zimmer” campaign in a bid to reduce the number of falls in care homes and it’s seen great results.
60% reduction in falls
The idea is the brainchild of Angela Donlevy, the manager at Chalkney House care home in White Colne.
Angela has been involved in a project with Essex County Council to improve patient safety and after introducing the scheme saw a 60% drop in the number of falls at her care home, and in turn a reduction in the number of hospital admissions.
She’d recognised that a lot of residents with dementia fall and hurt themselves because they often forget their frames and take someone else’s.
It came in a dream
Angela said,
“About a year ago I woke up after having a vivid dream about walking frames and I remember asking myself why they were all grey. Suddenly it occurred to me that brighter colours would be more recognisable to people with cognitive impairments such as dementia.
“They often forget their frames or take someone else’s because they all look the same, so people fall and hurt themselves.
“I hoped by involving residents in decorating their frames we could reduce injuries to our residents. Now residents love their brightly coloured and individual frames and are very proud to use them. The home has seen some remarkable results too – a 60 per cent reduction in falls in the past year, which has dramatically reduced potential hospital admissions.”
With so many creative people living on the Isle of Wight we’re sure that this project could be a real winner.
Find out more
You can learn more about the project by watching the video below:
Our thanks to Sarah Adams for the heads-up.
Source and image ©: Essex County Council
