Townsville HHS physios bring Active August to life with African safari theme

Lions, tigers and giraffes (oh my!) have taken over the walls of Townsville University Hospital as staff embrace an African safari theme for this year's Active August.

Physiotherapy team leader Eve Miller said the initiative was designed to encourage patients to get moving while raising awareness of the negative effects of inactivity.

“We involve all the acute wards in the hospital with the initiative, put posters up to let them know it’s happening, and facilitate all the activities,” Eve said.

“This year we have a safari theme and one of the activities we have is an animal 'Who Am I?' challenge where patients identify the animal paws displayed on the walls then go on a hunt to find the corresponding animal somewhere else around the ward.

“We’ll also have tokens for the wards and every time an activity is completed, they can submit their token and the most active ward at the end of August will win a prize.”

There will be a lot at stake for each ward with an air fryer and a pizza party up for grabs.

Eve said the initiative’s aim was to make physical activity as accessible as possible for patients.

“Any form of activity that’s outside of their normal routine that gets them dressed and out of bed is encouraged,” she said.

“If people need to go to the toilet, incorporate a short walk or take the long way to the toilet, or if they would normally stay in bed to eat, we’ll encourage them to eat at the table if it’s possible for them to do so.

“One of the main initiatives we’re encouraging is how we can all work together to get our patients to 500 steps a day, the minimum steps required to prevent hospital-associated deconditioning.”

Over the years, Active August has become a positive fixture across the hospital.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in awareness about the positive effects of patients getting out of bed and moving,” Eve said.

“We’ve also seen it translate beyond the month of August with staff displaying increased awareness about the positive benefits of getting their patients to be more active during their stay.”

Throughout August, the physio team will transform hospital spaces with safari-themed displays while encouraging patients to get moving and supporting staff to make movement part of everyday care.