INPUT
INPUT is a pain treatment unit at St Thomas' Hospital. Patients from all over the country visit to learn better ways of coping with their pain and getting back to normal life in spite of their problems.
The unit has an interdisciplinary staff of doctors, psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and nurses. Patients stay in the unit, in a group of 10-12 people, for a fixed length programme of either two or four weeks. During this time they learn more about their pain and to overcome their fears about it.
The INPUT Appeal is run under the auspices of Guy's and St Thomas' Charity. It was launched to mark the tenth anniversary of INPUT and the move into specially adapted accommodation in 1998.
The aims of this INPUT Appeal are:
- To provide a high quality environment by improving furniture and equipment for patients, which is important for the restoration of health and function.
- For education and support - informing the public and professionals about the importance of pain management.
- To employ a training and education coordinator for 3 years to manage clinical training for doctors, nurses and therapists from across Britain. This will be the way forward to improve the management of chronic pain for sufferers all over the country.
- To fund further research so that we can learn more about how chronic pain develops and what treatment is effective.
Donations have helped the department to purchase a video camera which is used to record patients completing a timed walk before and after the programme. This provides excellent visual feedback on the progress they have made and motivates them to continue to build on their achievements and further improve their quality of life.
If you are a graduate of the INPUT Programme then news of a support group called paIN PUT in PERSPECTIVE will be of interest to you. Find our more and sign up here »
Other ways your donation will help:
| £10 will purchase an information pack with helpful strategies on how to manage life in chronic pain, how to manage flare-ups and anxiety, and daily stretches. |
| £20 will provide plants and aquatic life for the conservatory, where patients have an opportunity to meet and share thoughts and feelings around living with chronic pain in a healing and calm environment. |
| £50 will help re-decorate the Input patient accommodation, providing a comfortable resting place for patients, important for restoration of health and function. |
| £100 will purchase gym and audio-visual equipment used to provide physical therapy and allow patients to view their own progress over the course of treatment and see for themselves the progress they have made. |
To make a donation or find out how your legacy could help, please use the secure donation form, or contact the Fundraising Team on Tel: 020 7188 7744, e-mail: Fundraising Team.
A patient and staff member using the video camera provided by donations to the INPUT Appeal
If you are a graduate of the INPUT Programme then news of a support group called paIN PUT in PERSPECTIVE will be of interest to you. Find our more and sign up here »