The Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) said yesterday its plans were in response to Bermuda's rapidly growing elderly population and to cater better for those who needed specific forms of therapy ? including victims of strokes, amputations, head injuries and fractures.

The aim of the new services is to avoid unnecessarily long stays in hospital for patients and to enable them to resume living at home whenever possible. Therapy at home is part of the plan.

The in-patient unit will be located in Perry ward and is scheduled to open early next year. The day hospital, on the first floor of the KEMH building, is set to open at the end of the summer, with a team of specialist staff and 15 places for patients.

The scheme has been helped by significant donations from three charities, The Patrick and Beryl Campbell Charitable Trust in conjunction with the Bermuda Stroke and Family Support Association and also The Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association.

KEMH geriatrician Dr. David Harries, who spearheaded this initiative, said the new services would be greatly beneficial to the ten per cent of the population who are seniors and who make up 70 per cent of hospital admissions.

"Rehabilitation is one of the cornerstones of geriatric medicine," said Dr. Harries. "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."

The improvements are the result of recommendations by the BHB's rehabilitation strategy group, which was formed in July 2002.

Dr. Harries said the in-patient ward, which will include 24 beds and a rehabilitation area, would not require much in the way of construction work.

"We chose Perry ward because it requires minimal renovations," Dr. Harries said. "We will be modifying the bathrooms to ensure that they are accessible for wheelchairs and wheeled commodes and adding a therapy area and day room for patients. We will also be re-flooring the ward with non-slip materials."

He added that three additional occupational therapists would be recruited and specialised training would also be offered to existing staff.

Asked about the cost of the project, Dr. Harries said the donations from the three charities had been very helpful.

He added: "We made use of our current resources for the new units, so costs were kept to a minimum, while still ensuring the highest standard of patient care. The long-term potential for significant savings to the Bermuda Hospitals Board is very promising."

Age Concern executive director Claudette Fleming welcomed the upgrade of services as "an excellent idea".

"Dr. Harries has worked very hard on this and deserves great credit," Ms Fleming said. "Seniors will welome this.

"When you look at the hospital, you see two wards full of older people and I'm sure that was something that struck Dr. Harries.

"Warehousing people is not an effective way of meeting their needs. The idea of older people remaining in a safe home environment for as long as possible is a good one.

"Housing should not be a medical issue. This service will help the hospital focus on its job which is getting people back to being able to function in the community again."

The in-patient rehabilitation unit 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.

The day hospital personnel 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.

BHB chairman Jonathan Brewin thanked the charities for their generosity and added: "This rehabilitation strategy marks an important step forward for patient care in Bermuda."

BHB chief executive officer Joan Dillas-Wright said: "Our vision at the BHB is to be a centre of excellence, and this means providing services that are in tune with the community's needs. A dedicated team of experts, led by Dr. Harries, has carefully tailored this strategy to meet the needs of our population."