Forum Discussion

Hi Kathryn, Perhaps some strengthening exercises using Therabands for some resistance might help.

Hi Kathryn, not sure what Sate you are in this link might be helpful
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/stayonyourfeet/

Queensland Stay On Your Feet®

Helping older Queenslanders stay healthy, active, independent and on their feet.

On the left hand side there is Information for professionals

This may be helpful: The Ontago Exercise Program.

www.steppingon.com/
Check out this site. I did this program after a fall I had and it is really great. It was started at Prince of Wales Hospital OT and PHysio department and has spread to the whole country and also overseas
from Lauretta

Across our residential and community facilities we do an exercise program. This involves all residents and clients who wish to be involved. We sit for these exercises. We have pool noodles cut into 3 and use these for ballon tennis. You sit all in a large circle, give each a noodle and use a balloon. The larger balloons can be bought at the supermarket or at the newsagent. This activity is good to hand and eye cordination and creates lots of laughter. There is the occasional resident that thinks that the noodles are to hit staff or others. Just have to manage this. Using squeeze balls to do hand exercises. Great activity to get everybody involved.

We have a program on every thursday morning its called happy healthy active, we had a team of university students and there teacher come to our facility they were physio, and occupational therapist they set out a routine and now we conduct it . It involves things like , first a sit down warm up streaching everything including the fingers making a clothes line and some pegs get the residents to peg and unpeg, 2 chairs distant and doing a 1-1 figure 8 walf making sure they walk heal toe every step this helps greatly with there balance, I have a net they kick the ball into, we have a large parachute like material and 100 plastic balls we through them in to the air but importantly we make this fun so they dont treat it like exercise. Since starting this program our falls list has decreced and our manager is very pleased.....Jean