New rehab ward in ICC to help elderly patients get back on their feet
At the peak of the fifth wave of COVID-19, the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre (HKICC) was operating 10 wards with over 600 patients. By the end of February, homes for the elderly were the hardest hit areas. A large number of residents of homes for the elderly or elderly people waiting for admission in the community were transferred to the HKICC for treatment. Due to the deterioration of the elderly’s self-care ability after hospitalisation, the HKICC set up a rehabilitation ward to provide a more comprehensive treatment for patients.
“People living in homes for the elderly are relatively well looked after by caregivers after they are discharged, but some elderly people living alone have difficulty walking after they recover,” explains Dr Polk Wan, Cluster Chief Manager of the Kowloon West Cluster. “If we discharged them immediately after treating their COVID-19 symptoms, they would be helpless, so we decided to take this additional step.” At the height of the fifth wave, it was not easy to transfer patients to rehabilitation wards in other hospitals as many had been converted into COVID-19 wards, he recalls. Setting up a rehabilitation ward in the HKICC therefore eliminated the need for transfers and reduced the burden on other hospitals.
The rehabilitation ward at the HKICC currently has 72 beds and provides services including speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nutrition management. Infected and recovered patients are treated in different areas in line with infection control guidelines. Dr Wan says the centre will continue to install additional rehabilitation equipment and adjust the scale of its services in response to patients’ needs.
“People living in homes for the elderly are relatively well looked after by caregivers after they are discharged, but some elderly people living alone have difficulty walking after they recover,” explains Dr Polk Wan, Cluster Chief Manager of the Kowloon West Cluster. “If we discharged them immediately after treating their COVID-19 symptoms, they would be helpless, so we decided to take this additional step.” At the height of the fifth wave, it was not easy to transfer patients to rehabilitation wards in other hospitals as many had been converted into COVID-19 wards, he recalls. Setting up a rehabilitation ward in the HKICC therefore eliminated the need for transfers and reduced the burden on other hospitals.
The rehabilitation ward at the HKICC currently has 72 beds and provides services including speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nutrition management. Infected and recovered patients are treated in different areas in line with infection control guidelines. Dr Wan says the centre will continue to install additional rehabilitation equipment and adjust the scale of its services in response to patients’ needs.
