Even Minimal Exercise is Important
Even small amounts of regular physical activity can have big benefits for your patients, according to research recently published in the Lancet. That means correctional nurses should be encouraging physical activity for all inmate-patients, and especially those with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. The astounding news is that even 15 minutes a day of low-level activity 6 days a week can ‘reduce all-cause mortality by 14%, cancer mortality by 10%, and mortality from cardiovascular disease by 20%.” (pg 1202). Holy smoke, that is good news for our patients in confinement or with exercise-limiting disability!
A big factor in starting and increasing physical activity among patients is simple and repeated advice to do so. Correctional nurses are the health care professionals most likely to be in contact with inmates. Be sure you have a game plan that includes regular reminders to exercise. Scope out possible exercise venues in your facility and encourage patients to use them. If permitted, consider creating a simple exercise plan sheet to provide to interested patients. Even those in Ad Seg, Special Housing, or other restricted locations can find a way to do low-level physical activity daily for 15 minutes.
If your facility encourages group activities, you may want to try organizing a group exercise program. If you get something like this going, be sure to videotape it and get it posted on YouTube! Here is a video done by inmates at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison in the Philippines.
Photo Credit: © Anton Vakhlachev – Fotolia.com
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