Critically ill patients and those recovering from major surgeries have been helped in their recovery with the arrival of new chairs and stand aids to get them out of bed sooner.

Six colourful recovery chairs and one ‘Sara Steady’ transfer stand aid were purchased for the Intensive and Critical Care Unit (ICCU) at Flinders Medical Centre to help patients become more mobile, prevent muscle deterioration and, in many cases, reduce their length of stay in hospital.

ICCU Senior Physiotherapist Jenne Farrant said the new furniture and equipment - generously donated by the D & F Steinle family - would benefit all patients in the unit, but particularly those recovering from oesophagectomy or cardiac surgeries.

“There’s a large amount of evidence that getting out of bed sooner, can help with faster recovery and potentially getting home sooner,” Jenne said.

“With a coordinated approach to the patient’s care following oesophagectomy surgery,  their length of stay can be reduced by 50 per cent from two weeks to seven days, and chairs and stand aids are important components in this to support early and frequent mobilisation.”

Grateful ICCU Nurse Unit Manager Nella South said the new equipment would benefit both staff and patients.

“These will reduce the manual lifting staff have to do, and the number of staff required to do so, and patients can feel supported when standing for the first time and transitioning to a chair,” Nella said.

“But really importantly, getting patients out of bed to stand or sit is so helpful psychologically – it lifts the mood and they feel like they are meeting a goal and moving in the right direction.”