Since 2023, Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity (BWHC) has been working with Alive Activities to enhance the care older patients receive in our hospitals.

Hospital stays for older patients can be long, stressful and boring – with many patients unable to leave the ward environment, or even their bed, without supervision from NHS staff.

Thanks to funding from BWHC, Alive Activities is able to run tailored activities for older patients, helping reduce stress and anxiety, alleviate boredom and even help patients get home quicker.

One in four beds in our hospital is filled with someone in dementia and two-thirds of inpatients are aged over 65. With your help, we can offer more for our older patients.

Together with Alive Activities and your support, we can make a bigger impact that we can alone.

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Gardening sessions for patients 

Every week patients from the older care wards in the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) have the opportunity to take part in gardening sessions in the Sanctuary Square Garden.

In total, 300 patients have attended the sessions and are often joined by family and loved ones.

This horticultural therapy has huge benefits for patients. A team of physiotherapists were amazed to see patient Patricia walk around the garden after weeks of struggling to leave her bed. Another patient, Shirley, has communication difficulties, but after a few sessions was reminiscing about special memories in her grandad’s garden. 

Following the success of the gardening activities in Bristol, in Autumn 2024 this initiative was rolled out in the Rainbow Garden at Weston General Hospital.

Toddler tea parties

Our funding is supporting a pilot project to develop positive links between children in the community and older patients at the BRI. This is the first projects of its kind to be trialled in an acute hospital setting.

Intergenerational connections benefit us all, at all ages and stages of our lives. The sessions are led by an artist practitioner, who uses storytelling, crafts, play and music to engage and inspire those in the group. The sessions are supported by staff from Alive Activities, hospital staff and a small team of volunteers.

Faye, from BWHC, attended a session and said: “It was so sweet to see the youngsters interacting with the older patients, and the change in both groups throughout their time together.

They started off reserved and a bit nervous, but by the end of the session were happily interacting with each other and engaging with the activities. It clearly bought a lot of joy to the patients and I felt the mood lift during the session.

“It was a great representation of the full-hearted goodness our charity provides.”

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