A new gym activity area will officially open in the mental health inpatient unit at Rotorua Hospital this week.
The Lakes District Health Board Patient Comfort Fund of $20,000 was donated by the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust to the board and applications for the fund were approved by the
Lakes District Health Board executive committee.
Lakes District Health Board diversional therapist, Paul McCann had the idea for an onsite gym for patients in the unit at Rotorua Hospital and set about making it happen.
Last year Mr McCann was taking patients to a local gym to support them with their health and wellbeing aims.
He said people really enjoyed the gym activity and it was very successful, but not everyone was able to leave the unit. He started to think about making it possible for more people to be able to access the gym equipment by providing an activity space in the inpatient unit at Rotorua Hospital.
Mr McCann asked a local consumer advisory group called VIP (Very Important Perspectives) what they thought would make them more comfortable if they were in hospital.
The group said a quiet space to read a book or write a letter and an exercise space or gym.
"As health professionals I thought we could be supporting people more with their healthy eating and exercise and therefore supporting people to have a good quality of life. So let's have a gym," he said.
Mr McCann applied to the patient comfort fund, got approval and went about buying a range of equipment including a cycle machine, two elliptical trainers, chin pull up bar, dip station and a weight machine.
There is also a television so people can do cardio spin classes with a DVD and a cassette player for music.
"It's been really popular. When I come to work in the morning, people are coming up to me and saying what time can we go to the gym. Patients are approaching me and asking me to take them to the gym," he said.
The atient comfort fund also helped set up a library space in the inpatient unit, refurbishing a room, and buying some shelving and books.
Mr McCann said he was very grateful to everyone that had helped especially the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust for providing the funds for both the library and the gym.