Walking for wellness: a collaborative program to maintain mobility in hospitalized older adults.

To prevent the functional decline in older patients that often results from restricted activity during hospitalization, the Walking for Wellness program was designed to educate patients about remaining mobile during their stay and to provide daily walking assistance from cross-trained transportation staff. Screening procedures often identified patients who could benefit from physical therapy, and the medical and therapy staff used the program to maintain gains accomplished for patients who remained hospitalized after being discharged from therapy.