Nurses play an important role

At Franciscus, nurses actively participate in decision-making. They have the most contact with patients and know exactly what is needed to make their stay more pleasant. With this in mind, geriatric nurse Marian Groenenboom developed a plan to make her department more exercise-friendly.

More exercise in the department

“A few years ago, our patients stayed in bed much more often,” says Marian. “Older patients in particular thought that they had to stay in bed in their pyjamas as soon as they arrived at the hospital. But as soon as they started moving more, I noticed an immediate improvement.”

To stimulate exercise, Marian submitted a proposal via the Franciscus Foundation to create a living room for the Internal Medicine department. “Our department only had offices and patient rooms, so there was no inviting place to get out of bed. We emphasised how important such a space is and thanks to the Foundation, the living room was created.”

Sponsoring makes it possible

Thanks to the sponsorship of Ronde Tafel 46 Schiedam and Ladies Circle 04 Schiedam, the living room could be furnished, including a Bike Labyrinth. “The best thing about this project is that I was given the freedom to realize it,” says Marian. “I saw exactly what our patients needed and was able to make a concrete contribution to that.”

Motivation to exercise

The living room is located at the end of the corridor, which ensures that patients automatically walk a bit. They can visit the room independently or with the help of nurses and volunteers. “We really furnished the room as a living room, so that patients can imagine themselves in a different environment for a while and can forget the hospital reality.”

Cycling through a familiar environment

“Bike Labyrinth helps enormously with this,” continues Marian. “Our patients prefer to choose routes through Schiedam, Vlaardingen or Rotterdam, because they have many memories of them.” As soon as they start cycling, the stories come naturally and they feel a little less like a patient.

Reminiscing together

They also actively involve informal caregivers. “We encourage them to go for a bike ride with the patient or to go to the living room,” Marian explains. The bike routes not only stimulate exercise, but also stimulate cognitively by evoking memories. “Our patients are full of stories. The best moment is when they cycle with a big smile on their face sharing those memories.”