Hospital Staff Harnesses The ‘Power Of Movement’

A new program at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township is taking advantage of what officials are calling the “power of movement.”

Therapists in the behavioral health department of the hospital have been incorporating meditation, yoga, and dance into their regular routines in recent months, and they say it is paying off.

The hospital administration has encouraged the program’s growth and purchased sound equipment to bring music to patients.

With patients moving to music and meditating in classes – with pandemic safety precautions in place – those taking part have seen noticeable improvements. Older patients are getting up and moving more and younger patients are clearing their headspace through the program, said Leeann Morsa, the manager of Lower Bucks Hospital’s behavioral health department.

“You can see it. It’s noticeable what it does,” she said of the classes.

Therapist Ruhmon Johnson, a Bristol Township resident, and therapist Morgan Thornton have helped step the program into high gear. Johnson brings a performance background to the job.

“Music is a constant to their lives,” Johnson said, adding he plays music of all timeframes for the patients.

“We bring in the 50s, 60s, 70s. We do the Bristol Stomp,” he explained.

Johnson admitted he has had to learn some new dances to perform with the patients.

“There was an 88-year-old woman who jumped out of her chair to do the salsa,” he said.

Michelle Aliprantis, the director of marketing and communications for the hospital, has seen some of the classes in action. She noted how excited the patients are and how it seems to clear their minds of any troubles.

The program has helped patients dealing with depression, dementia, alcoholism, and numerous other ailments.

In addition to aiding patients in the behavioral health department, the therapists also work with seniors in other units of the hospital.

“We get them moving every day, whether dancing or hitting a ball,” Morsa said.

The goal is to keep patients in motion and increase levels of endorphins, which can bring on feelings of well-being and are able to reduce pain and discomfort.

In addition to helping lift spirits, the program has statistically been shown to decrease the fall rate among patients, Morsa explained to LevittownNow.com.

The program has also helped to staff, who are still grieving the loss of a beloved therapist to COVID-19.

“This has ended up being a benefit to everyone,” Morsa said.

Johnson and Thornton have worked with seasoned therapists Tia Thompson and Ann Waters and other hospital staffers to make the “power of movement” more widespread. And, according to Morsa, there’s still room for the program to grow.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---