A regular supply of local newspapers delivered to residents of rehabilitation centre has helped reduce their feelings of isolation, keeps their minds active and provides a welcome link with the outside world.
Rosewell House is a rehabilitation centre in Aberdeen which offers ongoing acute and rehab care as a “halfway house” between hospital and community. Feedback from patients identified that access to a newspaper would have improved their experience and stay at Rosewell.
(Click on the image to download the PDF.)
I contacted the Press & Journal to ask about the cost of 25 papers for the patients residing within our facility. They kindly responded by saying they would be happy to supply them free of charge, if we collected them. We receive vouchers to collect as many copies as necessary on a daily basis at no cost to the NHS from my local newsagent in Westhill. I and a colleague now do this daily on route to work. The reaction of some of the patients has been quite emotive. I asked a number of the patients why it was important to them and here are some of the answers I was given. It really is the little things in life that sometimes matter the most and make a difference.
- “I enjoy the national and local news and it helps pass the time.”
- “You feel isolated in here. So it helps to hear the news.”
- “Helps keep you in touch with what’s going on. I feel I’m more in contact with what’s going on.”
- “Helps keep you in touch with what’s going on in the outside world. Good to have things of interest.”
- “It’s something to read. I like to read about local news. I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get it.”
- “Good to get the timing of various fixtures like the football. Seeing what games are on where and when. And to know what will be on the TV.”
- “It’s like visiting everything that you would do in your living-room.”
- “Good to get the local news.”
- “At my age…. this is my excitement. This is the only thing that keeps me going and alive. Reading the papers and magazines lets me know what’s going on outside. With not getting out it helps take my mind off my troubles.”
“It really is the little things in life that sometimes matter the most and make a difference.”
The introduction of newspapers for patients within Rosewell has helped patients with a variety of medical conditions. Some of the statements I gathered were from individuals displaying cognitive difficulties and dementia. Our Quality Improvement Facilitator, Louise, put together this brilliant PDF to capture the statements. I think they go a long way to convey the isolation some individuals feel in hospital settings and how a simple newspaper can bring a sense of escapism, belonging, routine and aid with orientation – all of which we can’t put a price on. The P & J also asked for feedback on how the papers are received by our residents. I will be delighted to share the above with them too, evidencing just how much their gesture has mattered to patients under our care.
Jill Stott
Occupational Therapist
NHS Grampian