Immobility in hospital leads patients to discharge in worse condition. (Shutterstock.com)

A disturbing statistic that one in three patients aged 70 and older –who are independent in their daily functioning and are admitted to hospital for acute conditions like pneumonia–  are discharged with functional decline has prompted Israeli researchers to seek what is it about the hospitalization that causes decline in older adults functioning.

“A patient who is admitted for a serious illness, like complications from pneumonia or exacerbation of a heart condition, expects to leave the hospital in a better state than the one s/he entered, but in practice this isn’t always the case,” say Dr. Anna Zisberg and Dr. Efrat Shadmi from the University of Haifa’s Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, who conducted the study.

The study looked at some 900 people aged 70 or older who were hospitalized in the internal medicine departments of Israeli hospitals for illnesses that were not associated with loss of functioning (for example, they did not undergo surgery or suffer paralysis).

The findings showed that a third of the patients, when discharged, were in a state of reduced function compared to the period preceding the hospitalization, and nearly half (46%), reported reduced functioning as late as a month post-discharge.

“When a man of 78, who was able to walk, go to the bathroom, and eat independently before the hospitalization, is admitted for three or four days to be treated for arrhythmia, there is no apparent explanation for why after his condition is treated, he should become dependent, need a cane to walk, and require adult diapers,” says Dr. Zisberg.

The findings showed that one of the main factors leading to functional decline among older hospitalized patients was their reduced mobility while in the hospital. According to the researchers, patients often mistakenly think that if they’re sick, they ought to be in bed, and around half of the patients didn’t leave their rooms during their entire hospital stay.

“Lack of mobility leads to reduced muscle mass and is liable to cause older people difficulty in daily functioning and other complications,” says Dr. Zisberg. “This study shows, for the first time, that in addition to the many other risk factors present before and during the hospitalization itself, mobility is a significant factor, and making sure the patients move around the room and in the ward’s corridors, can greatly influence their functioning after hospitalization.”

The study was recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Also taking part in the study were Dr. Nurit Gur-Yaish of the Gerontology research center, research student Orly Tonkikh, and Dr. Gary Sinoff of the Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences at the University of Haifa, in cooperation with Dr. Hanna Admi, nursing director at Rambam Medical Center, and Dr. Chen Shapira and Haya Peker, the director and nursing director, respectively, of Carmel Medical Center.

According to the researchers, the most important recommendation is to encourage the patient to stay mobile while hospitalized, even if it means walking through the corridors or around the room.

“Sometimes we want to help a patient and do things for him/her,” says Dr. Zisberg. “But if we really want to help, it’s best to encourage the patient to be as independent as possible. Moreover, it’s important for the patient to maintain as full and balanced a diet as feasible, to facilitate the body’s optimal recovery processes.”