In the news recently there have been many distressing reports about elderly and critically ill patients leaving hospital dehydrated and malnourished because they could not reach their food or water during their stay in hospital. Although, this has never been an issue for Royal Derby Hospital, recently they have employed a group of Patient Activity Support Volunteers, including myself, who's job it is to ensure patients do not leave hospital in such a state.
I started in this role last Sunday, on a respiratory ward, ward 403 and I have found that my main duties include, talking to patients, cleaning and de-cluttering tables ready for dinner, handing out hand wipes to patients before they eat, giving patients their meals and offering them help with it, offering tea and other drinks to patients and generally providing support to the nurses on the ward.
Although my time on the ward so far has been short-lived, it is already proving to be a valuable experience to me. Before starting on the ward, I had had very little experience of a hospital environment, never having been seriously ill myself. Due to this, I am ashamed to admit that my idea of a hospital was heavily based around what I had seen on the television and in the news. Now I can clearly see, what it is actually like to work in a hospital and I am sure this knowledge will be of benefit to me later, when I begin to study medicine. Not only am I gaining experience of ward life, but I have also become certain that this is where my future career lies.
Age UK have been campaigning since 2006 in the "Hungry to be Heard" Campaign, to try and prevent malnutrition and dehydration in hospitals. More information can be found about this at http://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/malnutrition-in-hospital-hungry-to-be-heard/.
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