Notice boards that relate directly to the patient are useful for patients and their visitors

Many hospitals have a notice board behind the patient's bed. Staff can use these in a variety of ways to transmit information.

Checking first with the nursing staff, the notice board can also be used by close relatives to communicate with the medical staff and visitors. For instance, if the patient has communication problems, a reminder of a patient's favourite drink and how they like it served (in a mug/beaker/ china cup, weak or strong, with or without sugar), their favourite newspaper or magazine and a list of their hobbies which could be talked about.

Ensuring that the physiotherapist was aware, I also put the current list of simple exercises advised for my mother. In our case, this involved shrugging her shoulders, shaking hands, clenching her fist. These are all simple things that could easily be practised with visitors.

Jill