Keep up your strength

Woman 1 - I didn’t think you needed to eat and drink much in hospital, because you’re not 

doing a lot.

Man 1 - But I found out it’s even more important than usual – it’s as important as taking your 

medicine. 

Woman 2 - In fact, it can actually help your medicine to work better. 

Woman 3 - The doctor told me it would help to speed my recovery and give my body a bit more 

strength.

Man 2 - And I need to eat and drink well all the time, if I want to stay well as I get older. 

Woman4 - Sometimes when you’re in hospital you don’t feel like eating.

Woman 1 - I asked the nurse if my family could bring food from home so I had drinks and 

snacks on hand.

Man 1 - I got into a bit of a routine, so that each time I ate or drank I’d get up and go to the 

bathroom or stretch my legs around the ward.

Man 3 (Mandarin) - Sometimes I was embarrassed about needing help when I was unsteady on 

my feet.

Woman 2 - I also didn’t want to ask for help sitting up to eat and I had a bit of trouble opening 

the packaging on my lunch.

Woman 3 - But I quickly learned that that’s what hospital staff are there for. It’s okay to ask for 

help.

Man 2 - Once I started drinking and eating regularly, it made a world of difference.

Woman 1 - I guess the extra energy helped me to heal.

Narrator - Keep up your strength. Get well soon.