Great strides made with patients’ pants
A GROUP of volunteers have teamed up to produce trousers for elderly people at a West London hospital.
Due to infection risks, hospitals cannot accept second hand clothing, so the Serving Our Superheroes (SOS) group overcame this problem by launching a production line of its own. Patients often enter the Hillingdon Hospital Elderly Ward without the appropriate attire, so SOS decided to help make a change.
The charity sprung into action when it discovered elderly patients often arrived at hospital without clothes or not wearing hospital appropriate garments. They may live alone so cannot have spare clothes brought in, they may have spiked their clothes or they may even be living in poverty. To fix the problem, SOS designed some unisex trousers and, with help from a group of volunteers, began producing the drawstring garments from their homes.
Sarah Gardner, who runs SOS, praised the work of her colleagues who have worked hard to produce the trousers, and said: “Serving Our
Superheroes have started providing a new line of items – we have gone from laundry bags for uniforms at the start of the pandemic to smaller bags filled with toiletries and now trousers for patients are given out along with the washbags.
“It all started when I was last at Hillingdon Hospital for a meeting with the Hillingdon Hospital Charity Trust – they asked for new clothes for their elderly ward,” Sarah added.
“Due to infection control they can’t accept second hand clothes. I designed some trousers that are unisex and are drawstring so then are adjustable to fit any size and easy to put on.
“The idea is that if the patients have clothes to wear, rather than the hospital gowns, they are more likely to be able to get out of bed and walk around. It affords them warmth and dignity. The more they can sit in a chair and walk around, rather than lay in bed, means they are less likely to get bed sores and they are less likely to get muscle wastage and therefore they keep their mobility.”
Sarah collects all the trousers and delivers them to the hospital where they can be used by patients. Her group of volunteers have tirelessly produced hundreds of the homemade leg wear.
Sarah praised the volunteers, such as Mrs Shah, whose group has been making items for SOS since the beginning of the pandemic.
Among its homemade garments, the charity has also purchased T-shirts from InKind Direct and has donated these, along with other items such as toiletry packs, so that patients can shower and clean their teeth. Currently, the NHS does not provide toiletries because of their cost and Sarah intends to change the lack of bathroom assistance through donations that she collects from her West London community.
Collecting items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant, the team makes homemade bags to deliver packs to all those in need. They have worked throughout the pandemic and plan to continue their venture while demand remains.