Stair trainer benefits the rehabilitation of patients at Finney House

Project cost: £5,395

We are pleased to announce we have been able to fund the addition of a stair trainer to Finney House (Community Healthcare Hub) at the cost of £5,395.

Stair Trainers offer a convenient way for patients to practice using steps and stairs as part of their rehabilitation. Assessments can often be daunting for patients so through upgrades to modern equipment and the ability to introduce training earlier in the rehabilitation journey, there is a significant reduction to anxiety which has already seen a positive improvement to rehabilitation time for patients.

The equipment can be set to varying step heights to mirror the patients exact home setting and can be used to replicate anything from a front doorstep to their own staircase. The stair trainer is fully mobile and can be used across Finney House and has allowed staff to use in settings such as patient bedrooms, which previously would have been logistically impossible. It is also risk free due to its height altering ability, meaning mid-assessment it can be lowered to a flat position should the patient become anxious or feel unwell. 

Ensuring successful discharges are achieved in a less daunting manner and with limited risk is something which is of huge importance to patient wellbeing and overall improvements to care. With funding from all our supporters, we are able to fund projects like this which make a lasting impact to patients across Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.

Dan Hill, Head of Hospital Charities says: “We are delighted to be able to fund equipment like this which has a positive impact to the rehabilitation of patients at Finney House. It is fantastic for our supporters to see the amazing projects they are facilitating across the trust.”

Neil’s case study:

‘SH was recently admitted to the Lancashire Community Healthcare Hub (CHH) at Finney House following an inpatient stay at Royal Preston Hospital (RPH). SH had an extensive past medical history (PMH) of malignancy and associated respiratory conditions including; metastatic breast Ca with bone, liver, peritoneal and left pleural metastases, osteoarthritis, hiatus hernia, CKD stage 3 and Fibro thoracic bronchiectasis. SH and was treated at RPH following their admission due to increased shortness of breath. SH was reviewed by the therapy team whilst an inpatient at RPH however made slow progress due to the restrictive nature of their respiratory disease and as a result was unable to complete the full assessment/rehabilitation necessary to return to baseline and return home from the acute trust. As SH was medically optimised and no longer met the criteria to reside in RPH they were transferred to CHH for further rehabilitation and assessment.

On admission to CHH, SH had only completed 4m of mobility with the RPH Therapy staff and was not deemed safe for stair assessment. Baseline mobility prior to admission was independently mobile without walking aid indoors, wheelchair for outdoors and supervision from husband on the stairs. SH engaged well in therapy with the Therapy Team at CHH and became the first patient to use our newly procured Stair Trainer system. The Stair Trainer is a new addition to our therapy treatment room and our therapy offer at CHH and was purchased thanks to the support of the Charities Team. The stair trainer allows us to adjust the height/depth of the stairs to replicate the patients own home to better assess/rehabilitate a patient for their return to the home environment.

In the case of SH the Stair Trainer has been invaluable as due to the nature of their respiratory disease they were unable to complete stair assessment at RPH. Whilst SH was an inpatient at CHH we were gradually able to progress this patient on the Stair Trainer by gradually adjusting the heigh/depth of the stairs to those in the patient home property; the short nature of the Stair Trainer (4 steps) also meant that stair assessment and practice can be completed in a more manageable chunk away from the main staircases at CHH which are much longer (13 steps) and are often daunting and distracting places to complete stair assessment/practice. This enabled the Therapy Team to build patient confidence as well as physical ability and exercise tolerance.

Following therapy input and regular practice with the Stair Trainer; SH was discharged home following successful completion of a home first assessment. This would not have been possible without the preparation for returning to their home environment. SH was very complimentary of the staff at CHH and appreciative of the support to enable their return home. SH returned to their home address independently mobile with a wheeled zimmer frame and independent on stairs with only minor supervision’