The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is to open a dedicated rehabilitation unit to help cope with the growing number of elderly.

The service will provide in-patient care in a dedicated 24-bed ward, and out-patient therapy from a new day hospital on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) premises.

Bermuda Hospitals Board chairman Jonathan Brewin said: ?This rehabilitation strategy marks an important step forward for patient care in Bermuda.

?We are committed to providing healthcare services that best meet the needs of our community and these facilities are a milestone in that direction.?

The rehabilitation services are to provide specialised and individual care for patients needing therapy who are over the age of 16 to maximise independence and enable them to resume living at home wherever possible.

The services will be targeted to people who would otherwise face unnecessarily prolonged hospital stays due to strokes, amputations, head injuries and fractures. As well as the elderly there are also a significant number of younger disabled people in Bermuda that require rehabilitation services. Current resources designed to maintain people in their own homes and maximise their independence are in short supply, according to a hospital press release.

Dr. David Harries, geriatrician at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital who spearheaded this initiative, said: ?Rehabilitation is one of the cornerstones of geriatric medicine.

?There is strong evidence, particularly in relation to stroke and elderly patients with hip fractures, that centralised rehabilitation units deliver better outcomes in terms of mortality rates, lengths of stay and numbers of patients discharged to their own homes.

?I am confident that these units will facilitate the delivery of the best possible patient care.?

The in-patient rehabilitation unit, scheduled to open in early 2005, will contain a therapy area that will preclude the need for transporting large number of patients to and from the physiotherapy department every day, at least one quiet room for patients and facilities suitable to wheelchairs or wheeled commodes. Located in Perry ward on the fourth floor of KEMH, the unit will contain 24 beds. Data from international hospitals in jurisdictions with similar populations was used to determine the number of beds and services required.

The day hospital, scheduled to open at the end of this summer, will comprise doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, social workers and aides.

The team will provide multi-professional assessment and rehabilitation for a variety of physical disorders in courses of treatment provided up to three times a week either at the day hospital or in the patient?s own home.

The day hospital will be situated on the first floor of KEMH, adjacent to the Continuing Care Unit and will initially have 15 places. Plans for this hospital are based on models of care that are practised worldwide and of proven use.

Bermuda Hospitals Board CEO Joan Dillas-Wright said: ?Our vision at the Bermuda Hospitals Board is to be a centre of excellence, and this means providing services that are in tune with the community?s needs. She said a dedicated team of experts, led by Dr. Harries, has carefully tailored this strategy to meet the needs of our population,?

?I am very proud of this latest initiative that brings us one step closer to realizing our vision.?

The Patrick and Beryl Campbell Charitable Trust, in conjunction with The Bermuda Stroke and Family Support Association, made a significant donation toward the in-patient unit and The Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association contributed generously to the day hospital.