New Elder Care Ambulatory Clinic pairs students and frail elderly
One step at a time: Client Kenneth Lam walks the hall under the watchful eye of physiotherapy student Levana Luu.
“Little things – going to the washroom, dressing yourself, making meals – are all easier if you can sit and stand easily and if you have more strength,” says Levana Luu, one of two UBC Physical Therapy Master’s students participating in a VGH pilot: the Elder Care Ambulatory Clinic.
The UBC-funded clinic offers student-led outpatient physical therapy to frail elderly clients, with an emphasis on strength and balance. While students help clients, they gain valuable real-life experience in their chosen career.
“When elderly people stay in the hospital for any reason, they lose some of their functional ability,” says Maureen Duggan, physical therapy practice coordinator for ambulatory care. “Our hope is to return them to their baseline, so they can stay at home or in assisted living longer.”
Maureen Duggan (left) and Sonia Martins are spearheading the pilot Elder Care Ambulatory Clinic at VGH.
Maureen and Sonia Martins, a physical therapist with geriatrics expertise, proposed the clinic to UBC and VGH after recognizing that a program didn’t exist for the frail elderly to regain functionality after hospital stays. Many members of the target population also have multiple co-morbidities.
Students learning from, and helping, frail elderly
The students see five to six patients each per day, with patients coming in twice a week, sharing VGH Rehab Services space.
Behram Bhesania, 79, is in the first few weeks of outpatient treatment. “I was very weak in my balance,” he says. “We do exercises concerning balance, and I do them at home. I very much recommend it. I feel better, and safer.”
Student Sean Overin says this is his first geriatric placement. “Before, I was assessing very orthopedically, thinking about specific body parts,” he says. “But now it’s all about functional ability and quality of life. Building strength leads to better balance which leads to confidence. I look at patients’ conditions more globally.”
Clients’ functionality is measured pre- and post-program. Follow-up three months later will determine if the treatment had long-term benefits by preventing falls or related hospital re-admissions, as compared to similar untreated populations.
The pilot runs until February 1, 2013, and welcomes referrals.
Referring to the Elder Care Ambulatory Clinic
Referrals of frail elders (70 and older; those 60-69 will be considered on a case-by-case basis) for this outpatient service are encouraged. Here’s how:
- speak with your unit’s physiotherapist, or
- contacting Maureen Duggan directly