Hospitalized seniors: program reduces functional deterioration

He Early Mobilization Programwhich targets older hospitalized patients, has been successfully implemented in the Henares University Hospitalpublic health center of the Community of Madrid located in Coslada, obtaining clinical results that make it a innovative model in care focused on the fragile patient.

Specifically, this program, which seeks preserve autonomy and prevent functional losswhile maintains dignity of older people while they are admitted to hospital, has shown that, in fact, it is possible to preserve the autonomy and dignity of hospitalized older people, also reducing dependency.

Exceptional results

Between 30% and 50% of the elderly hospitalized end up developing functional impairment during the time they are hospitalized, a deterioration that affects both mobility and cognitive and emotional levels, harming the quality of life, increasing the risk of institutionalization and making it difficult to return home, this has been detected by observational studies carried out by the Geriatrics team at the Hospital Universitario del Henares, according to the Community of Madrid in a statement. What’s more, up to 75% of those over 75 years of age lost independence after hospitalization if no measures were taken to prevent it.

In this sense, the Henares University Hospital designed a comprehensive program to addressing fragility from a functional and humanized perspectiveand which was launched in April 2025, running until January of this year with 254 patients that they had a average age of 90.3 years.

And the results, they highlight, have been exceptional. And the program, which begins with a comprehensive assessment by the geriatrics team to detect patients at risk of deterioration using validated scales of functionality, gait, cognition, nutrition and frailty, and establishing an early, safe and personalized mobilization schedule from the first hours of admission, as long as, they point out, there is clinical stability, achieved reduce functional loss by 10 pointsaccording to the Barthel index. Besides, 93.17% of patients maintained their previous continence and the risks associated with immobility were also reducedsuch as dependence, muscle loss and cognitive impairment.

In this way, they have shown that mobilize soonalways in a safe and coordinated manner, improves evolution of hospitalized older patients.

It should also be noted, the coordinated team that works with protocols agreed upon by a multidisciplinary team so that the intervention is adapted to each patient and is continuous and homogeneous. Without forgetting the figure of Nursing Auxiliary Care Technicianin charge of the early mobilization of patients, as well as the humanization measures associated with the program, such as delirium prevention, respectful sleep schedules, noise reduction in the units, emotional support, family education and information materials to facilitate a safe and understandable environment for the patient and family.