Meet the Shropshire hospital chaplain who is getting patients dancing
A hospital chaplain is helping to keep patients moving by playing songs on his guitar such as Mamma Mia.
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Multi-faith chaplain, Kevin Place has visited wards across the county's hospitals playing his guitar, encouraging patients and staff to dance and sing along.
If a patient is bed-bound while in hospital then it can lead to Hospital Associated Deconditioning (HAD), the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said.
So, it's hoped the new 'Music + Move' programme, that was launched in December last year, can help prevent the decline of mobility and improve muscle strength of patients.
Kevin's visits have become so popular with patients that it has now become a monthly fixture.
The multi-faith chaplain has played a variety of songs from ABBA’s Mamma Mia to 500 Miles by The Proclaimers.
He said: "I enjoy how music connects us and can reach people in a very deep way. I've seen how moving a remembered song can be and people lighting up with joy when singing or clapping along to a popular chorus.
"A hospital ward is not an easy place and a song or two can really lift the spirits of everyone, staff and visitors included, bringing smiles on difficult days."
SaTH said Hospital Associated Deconditioning can happen when patients are inactive and stay in bed all day.
It stated this can lead to a decline in mobility and muscle wastage with as much as 10 per cent lost in the first seven days of a hospital admission for those aged 80 and above.
So keeping patients as active as possible has become important and patients are being encouraged to move and dance to Kevin's music.
Lynette Williams, Reconditioning Lead and Movement Matters Lead Nurse, said: "HAD is a syndrome which affects both the body and the mind. The engagement and physical activity promote whole-body reconditioning, and also leads to reduced anxiety and depression, which are common side effects of staying in hospital.
"Patients have told us that they feel a lot more energetic after the sessions, and that it was lovely to join in with the singing and dance moves.
"One patient, who is living with dementia, said that the activities lift her spirits and help to distract from her confusing memories."
