My 89 year old mother had to go into a Care Home following her third stroke and a fall in hospital which resulted in a broken femur and pelvis. She already suffered from arthritis and the beginning of vascular dementia (which has since progressed) and found it difficult to adjust to life in a wheel chair. Despite all of these issues it has been a revelation to see her look forward eagerly to Gareth’s classes, and her delight in being able to take part in the session. She was a competitive sportswoman and she still looks around to see how well she is doing compared with others! Gareth has devised a routine of exercises that she can follow and she is able to remember the movements from one week to the next. His patience and good humour are appreciated and, as one resident told me last week, they appreciate being treated as “normal”. The benefits of the exercises can be seen by her increased alertness immediately after as well as her maintaining a degree of strength and mobility.
