Highly specialist physiotherapist Beth Carey is one of the speakers lined up to take part in the 2025 two-day global summit on ending ‘PJ paralysis’ among older people.
Beth, who is based at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is speaking on the opening day of the seventh version of the event, which is being conducted via Zoom and runs from 9 to 10 July.
The title of her presentation is ‘Moving Mountains: A fun challenge to encourage rehab mindedness in the acute sector’.
The End PJ [pyjama] Paralysis campaign and the summit are run by professors Lynda Holt and Brian Dolan, who have been working with other nurses, physiotherapists and other professionals over many years to reduce deconditioning among older people.
The organisers are currently polishing up the final version of the programme, but several speakers have already been announced. For details, see: https://endpjparalysis.org/endpjparalysis-global-summit/
‘The summit will bring people together from across the world to share best practice, to explore the research, case studies and to understand the lived experience and impact of deconditioning’ [Lynda Holt and Brian Dolan]
Lynda and Brian write: ‘We know deconditioning is exacerbated (or even caused) by hospital admission, and we’ve already seen and heard lots about the great work happening to combat it.
‘There is always more to do, in hospitals, in our communities and in people’s homes. We also know that deconditioning is not just an older person’s issue. It’s also time to think about how we support younger people, those living with cancer or who have suffered trauma, and think about chronic illness.
They add: ‘The summit will bring people together from across the world to share best practice, to explore the research, case studies and to understand the lived experience and impact of deconditioning.’
Brian is currently the honorary president of Agile, the professional network for physiotherapists working with older people.
International perspective
Another speaker with a physiotherapy background who will speak at the opening day of the summit is Susanne Klotz, a professor of physiotherapy who is based at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Her presentation is titled ‘Time is precious: don’t let deconditioning get in the way of recovery’.
Meanwhile, specialist frailty physiotherapist Suzanna Wareham will address the topic of ‘A new role to expedite hospital flow, promote continuity from being an inpatient to the community and facilitate patient re-conditioning in their own homes’.
Suzanna is a senior physiotherapist who is based at Royal Surrey County Hospital. A former athlete for GB Rowing’s World Class Start Programme from 2016-2019, she also represented Scotland in lacrosse from 2008-2014.
Beth’s blog: what drew her into the field?
In a moving blog published by the British Geriatrics Society, Beth Carey describes how she came to value the ‘power of physiotherapy’ as she recovered from a serious accident as a teenager. This prompted her study physiotherapy at university, where she met on older patient on placement whose plight prompted her to decision to work in the geriatric field after graduating.
‘My love of working with older people stemmed from a patient that I saw in my musculoskeletal placement at university, Beth writes. She was a lady in her 80s who had experienced an acromio-clavicular joint excision operation and was attending our clinic for post-operative management and rehabilitation.
The patient was disappointed that her shoulder pain had not been fixed post-operatively and that her function was less than it was before, Beth writes.
‘I think her expectations had not been managed well with regards to post-operative recovery and return to normal function. Through exercises and motivational education, her pain and function improved. I saw first-hand how important remaining independent is to people, and specifically older people who are losing function in other ways.
‘Being able to impact older people in this way motivated me greatly in developing my career within frailty and healthcare of older people. And I even got a kiss from her on my final day of placement!’
Older people are a ‘precious commodity’
Beth notes: ‘I believe older people are often a marginalised group in society. There is an expectation from all of society that as we age, we lose function and become more dependent. I feel this leads to older people often being “written off”. Working with older people allows a fantastic opportunity to advocate for a part of our community that is particularly vulnerable.’
She adds: ‘Older people in society are a precious commodity. Their wealth of experience and knowledge is not only a delight to engage with, but also invaluable to our society today. We owe it to our older people to look after them well and it is a privilege to do this every day.’
To read Beth’s blog in full, see: https://www.bgs.org.uk/how-a-childhood-injury-inspired-my-role-as-a-physiotherapist
The dates for this year’s summit are 9 July, from 8am to midnight, and 10 July, from 7am to 8pm. To be kept updated and to receive notification of the final version of the programme, register your interest in the 2025 Summit Here
