As a hospital volunteer for over 18 years, Rhonda Crowe knows how distressing hospital visits can be for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia syndromes.
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“Imagine waking up in a big, unfamiliar room surrounded by people you don’t know, with no idea how you ended up there,” she said.
“It’s difficult because we try to explain the situation to them, but they eventually forget and become agitated or confused again.”
Ms Crowe said volunteers in the dementia and special needs team at South East Regional Hospital spend their time distracting the patients through conversation and activities to provide comfort and continuity during their stay.
But there is another simple and effective solution.
Fidget mitts, also known as fiddle muffs, are knitted hand muffs made of different yarns and textures with buttons, ribbons and beads sewn onto them.
They provide a distraction for patients with dementia or special needs, keeping their hands busy and relieving anxiety.
Fidget mitts also stop patients pulling at their clothes or scratching their skin and can even trigger memories.
Now unique, handmade fidget mitts are being introduced to the dementia and special needs ward at SERH.
Ms Crowe said the volunteer team is delighted to hand out the fidget mitts, which will be individually gifted to patients to relax them during their stay and take home with them after hospital.
The initiative came about after Pastoral Care volunteer Jill Collins saw an article that provided instructions to make them and a suggestion they be sent to Alzheimer’s Australia.
“I thought they were a fantastic idea, but instead of sending them off to Alzheimer's Australia I wanted to give them directly to our hospital.”
Ms Collins photocopied the fidget mitt instructions and passed them on to Yetty Burgess, a keen knitter, retired nurse and now a hospital volunteer.
“I couldn’t believe it, but within a week she’d already had one done,” Ms Collins said.
Ms Burgess has now made three fidget mitts for patients at SERH.
“If they give someone some relief then it’s all worth it for me,” she said.
“Often these patients are used to having their pet or their handbag on their lap, which keeps their hands busy and having nursed elderly people for some time I know the importance of these distractions.”
Ms Crowe added that fidget mitts prevented patients from hurting themselves.
“They’re especially good for patients on a drip who may start pulling at their tubes if they’re not distracted,” she said.
“They provide that constant, comforting distraction, it’s just like a child with a teddy bear.”
The SERH volunteer program is calling on more people to help make fidget mitts for dementia and special needs patients.
A fidget mitt is a perfect project for beginner knitters. They don’t need to be perfect, as mistakes like uneven yarn tension or missed loops give the patient more complex textures to explore.
For more information about the SERH volunteer program and providing fidget mitts, contact volunteer coordinator Jenny Francis on 0401 093 422 or email jenny.francis1@health.nsw.gov.au
