Page 165 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2021. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo / Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 165
serving motor skills in elderly people in Psychiatric Hospital posterji | poster presentations
Idrija
Mihaela Colja, Jana Novak
Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija, Idrija, Slovenia
Introduction. An elderly person, especially with dementia, suffers the decline
of motoric skills. With the disease progresses, the individuals lose physical vi-
tality because they are not active in daily activities as before. They increasingly
need help, supervision and guidance from another person. This help could be
from family members or from a professionally qualified person’s side. The aim
of a poster is to present the mobility treatment of an individual with dementia
at the Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija. Idea for this poster arises from the belief
that maintenance of physical mobility, for the elderly, could be prolongation of
their quality of life, despite the limited living environment. The latter refers to
staying in a room, patient care ward or in the around the hospital, later also in
their home environment.
Content presentation. Daily, gerontopsychiatric ward staff see individuals who
have problems with physical strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. The
latter can be caused by age, various medical conditions, or medication. This
is important for maintaining independence in basic life activities and overall
health. Elderly can improve or maintain strength in different ways. One way is
training. The easiest way to incorporate it into their daily lives is e.g. climbing
up the stairs or working in the garden, which we also have in the hospital. Be-
cause we know that aerobic exercises improvs a patient’s psychophysical con-
dition, we can use a variety of movement exercises to improve or maintain mo-
tor function. In order to ensure safety (especially to prevent falls), in extreme
cases, the person may be physically restrained from time to time. As a result, it
is imperative that we do not neglect their physical condition. We also pay a lot
of attention to balance exercises, which are even more important in prevent-
ing falls. Possible falls associated with loss of balance due to fragility and body
composition, with ageing rapidly lead to disability, loss of independence and
even higher mortality. Physical activity also helps alleviate restlessness and anx-
iety, helps to postpone the age decline of the processing speed of the nervous
system and improve the reaction time. Regular exercise can make an impor-
tant contribution in the treatment of several mental illnesses, including depres-
sion and anxiety neurosis. The poster will present the full range of exercises
and measures for better mobility that patients receive at the Gerontopsychiat-
ric ward of the Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija.
Conclusions. The fact that an elderly person, especially with dementia, is in-
creasingly dependent on others, makes care for their motor skills as indispen-
sable factor. Despite the intense focus on this, we found out that only care and
excises in our hospital are not enough. Even more there is a need for addition-
al physiotherapy services. Physical exercise is vitally important to people with
dementia and for their well-being, because it helps maintain their physical func-
tioning as long as possible.
Keywords: an elderly person, motoric skills, movement, health care,
psychiatric hospital Idrija
163
Idrija
Mihaela Colja, Jana Novak
Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija, Idrija, Slovenia
Introduction. An elderly person, especially with dementia, suffers the decline
of motoric skills. With the disease progresses, the individuals lose physical vi-
tality because they are not active in daily activities as before. They increasingly
need help, supervision and guidance from another person. This help could be
from family members or from a professionally qualified person’s side. The aim
of a poster is to present the mobility treatment of an individual with dementia
at the Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija. Idea for this poster arises from the belief
that maintenance of physical mobility, for the elderly, could be prolongation of
their quality of life, despite the limited living environment. The latter refers to
staying in a room, patient care ward or in the around the hospital, later also in
their home environment.
Content presentation. Daily, gerontopsychiatric ward staff see individuals who
have problems with physical strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance. The
latter can be caused by age, various medical conditions, or medication. This
is important for maintaining independence in basic life activities and overall
health. Elderly can improve or maintain strength in different ways. One way is
training. The easiest way to incorporate it into their daily lives is e.g. climbing
up the stairs or working in the garden, which we also have in the hospital. Be-
cause we know that aerobic exercises improvs a patient’s psychophysical con-
dition, we can use a variety of movement exercises to improve or maintain mo-
tor function. In order to ensure safety (especially to prevent falls), in extreme
cases, the person may be physically restrained from time to time. As a result, it
is imperative that we do not neglect their physical condition. We also pay a lot
of attention to balance exercises, which are even more important in prevent-
ing falls. Possible falls associated with loss of balance due to fragility and body
composition, with ageing rapidly lead to disability, loss of independence and
even higher mortality. Physical activity also helps alleviate restlessness and anx-
iety, helps to postpone the age decline of the processing speed of the nervous
system and improve the reaction time. Regular exercise can make an impor-
tant contribution in the treatment of several mental illnesses, including depres-
sion and anxiety neurosis. The poster will present the full range of exercises
and measures for better mobility that patients receive at the Gerontopsychiat-
ric ward of the Psychiatric Hospital in Idrija.
Conclusions. The fact that an elderly person, especially with dementia, is in-
creasingly dependent on others, makes care for their motor skills as indispen-
sable factor. Despite the intense focus on this, we found out that only care and
excises in our hospital are not enough. Even more there is a need for addition-
al physiotherapy services. Physical exercise is vitally important to people with
dementia and for their well-being, because it helps maintain their physical func-
tioning as long as possible.
Keywords: an elderly person, motoric skills, movement, health care,
psychiatric hospital Idrija
163
