Thanks to donations of patients and their relatives, Good Hope Hospital Charity has been able to fund a trolley full of reminiscence items and new equipment for the Frailty Ward at Good Hope Hospital.

Lisa Smith who works on the Frailty Ward at Good Hope Hospital, wanted to buy a Reminiscence Trolley for the patients who are treated on the ward.

The trolley includes various items suitable for older patients who suffer from dementia. The items in the trolley range from wartime items such as books and gas masks, chocolate and sweets packages from when they were younger, and picture books of Birmingham throughout the years.

Items that patients with dementia can pick up and look through can help them feel more positive and can encourage them to talk about things they remember and improve their mood.

Pictured: items from the Reminiscence Trolley including packages and picture books

Lisa, Senior Sister at Good Hope Hospital, said: “The Reminiscence Trolley is of amazing use to us and the patients. The bits inside it can be given to patients to look through and can even help improve their mood and encourage them to talk about things in the past that they remember that made them happy.

“We are really grateful to everyone who donates to the hospital charity and allows us to purchase things like this; they really are of a great benefit to the patients.

“As well as the Reminiscence Trolley, we have also been able to purchase a HoverJack® Air Patient Lift which helps us to move older patients more safely without the risk of further injury if they have fallen.”

As well as the trolley, the hospital charity was also able to purchase a brand new piece of equipment for the ward which helps staff with patients who may have tripped or fallen over.

The HoverJack® Air Patient Lift is like a mattress which is placed on the floor where a patient has fallen or tripped and they are lifted gently onto it. Once they are on it, the HoverJack is pumped with air slowly which lifts them up to bed level where they can then safely be lifted into bed. This reduces the risk of further injury and distress, and allows the patient to be examined in bed for any injury after falling.

Laura Power, Fundraising Manager at Good Hope Hospital Charity, said: “We are so happy that everything purchased for the Frailty ward helps patients every day whether it is helping them think of positive memories, or assisting them if they have fallen.

“We wouldn’t have been able to purchase these things without your donations, we look forward to being able to purchase even more in the future!”

To find out how you can get involved with the Charity or make a donation, please visit hospitalcharity.org.

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