Nova Scotia Health's Early Mobility Program celebrates one year of helping older adults stay mobile while in hospital

Halifax, N.S. – This October during Seniors’ Week (Oct. 2-9), Nova Scotia Health is marking the first year of its Early Mobility Program being available at the nine regional hospitals across the province. October 1 also marks the first Frailty Awareness Day in Nova Scotia and the first in Canada.

Thanks to Nova Scotia Health’s Early Mobility Program, patients are walking the halls of hospitals to take steps to make their way back home.

One of the leading complications of hospitalization in older adults is functional decline, especially those who live with frailty prior to admission.

“Patients are spending 83 to100 per cent of their time in bed during an acute hospital admission leading to deconditioning and prolonged hospital stays. This is preventable,” said Dr. Ken Rockwood, QEII Health Sciences Centre internist-geriatrician and clinician scientist and medical director, Nova Scotia Health Frailty and Elder Care Network.

To reduce the risk of people becoming frailer in hospital and enhance how Nova Scotia Health supports older adults in aging well, the organization’s Frailty and Elder Care Network introduced the Early Mobility Program. Western Zone was the first to roll out the Early Mobility Program to its regional hospitals in August 2023 with the rest of the province coming on board by the end of October. Since its inception, more than 4,400+ patients have been referred to the Early Mobility Program.

Currently, there are 160 patients actively participating in the program across the province and 80 percent of these patients return to their own home when they are discharged from hospital.

“Evidence shows that staying mobile while in hospital can help a person recover faster and maintain their independence so they can return home sooner and live more active lives,” said Rockwood

When a person 65 years of age of older is admitted to hospital, they are assessed by healthcare staff using the Clinical Frailty Scale, a tool developed by Rockwood in Nova Scotia and used in healthcare across the world.

“If a person scores between 3 and 5 on the Clinical Frailty scale, they are referred to the Early Mobility Program,” said Rockwood. “The goal is to have patients moving within the first 24 hours after they have been referred to the Program.”

Through Nova Scotia’s Action for Health Plan, 41.7 Mobility Assistant positions were created to support the Early Mobility Program and older Nova Scotians. Mobility Assistants’ backgrounds include Recreation Therapy Associates and Rehabilitation Assistants who are a vital part of a patient’s circle of care.

The Early Mobility Program offers opportunities to walk with patients twice a day, seven days a week, and complements routine walking with direct care staff.

“In addition to helping patients with their physical health, our visits seem to help some patients with their mental wellbeing as they have someone to talk with,” said Amy MacSween, mobility assistant at Cape Breton Regional Hospital.

Paul Abbass of Trenton, Nova Scotia was one of those patients that benefited from participating in the Early Mobility Program at the Aberdeen Regional Hospital.

“I couldn’t walk prior to the Mobility team visiting me. The longer time went on while I was in hospital, the more I was losing strength in my legs,” said Abbass.

Reflecting on his experience, Abbass added, “individuals from the Early Mobility Program visited me twice daily to walk with me in the morning and again in the afternoon. They were very affirming and supportive,” said Abbass.

“Personally, the other benefit for me was that there was a relationship of trust and friendship that developed during these walks. I could talk to them about other things that were going on with my health and learn about their families, that really made all the difference,” he added.

Abbass has now returned home and continues his road to recovery.

“Patients are getting home sooner,” said Dr. Meaghan Keating, hospitalist at Cape Breton Regional Hospital. “There are some patients who have avoided a rehab stay entirely because of the extra attention to their mobilization. This has been such a positive and effective intervention for our acute care patients.”

“With more people returning home rather than staying longer in hospital or having to transition to long-term care, we also increase our capacity within the health system to support other patients in greater need,” said Rockwood.

For more information, visit: https://www.nshealth.ca/clinics-programs-and-services/early-mobility-program.