Paula Douglas contributed this article to the Leader
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The rain formed meandering rivulets down the windscreen as I watched an unusually large number of elderly ladies scurrying out of their cars in raincoats with umbrellas held high.
The average person watching might have seen these women and wondered why there were so many out on such an awful day. If they looked closer, which most people never do, they would have seen that under the raincoats, all the ladies wore sports shoes and various coloured tights. I of course knew better. I knew about the minor miracle that had been growing in this ordinary part of the Sutherland Shire.
From the beginning of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the ensuing lockdowns, a couple of extraordinary women were leading a revolution in the provision of aged care. Jenny and Kalpna from the Gymea Community Aid and Information Service (GCAIS) had secured funding for an Over 65s Social and Active Program. The aim was to measure changes in physical and mental well-being in older people who participated in regular exercise and social exchange.
The so-called Group 1 were the guinea pigs. We were individually assessed by Brent Collier, a qualified exercise physiologist at Allied Health Gymea before we started. When it was my turn, I struggled up the many stairs with my walking stick and the handrail. We were measured for strength, balance, coordination, weight, fat content, BMI etc.
Our first class was at the Gymea Bay Fitness Gym under the supervision of Brent, Jenny and Kalpna. The level of support was encouraging, and we all got over the fear of the unfamiliar equipment. We were soon really enjoying the sessions when the first lockdown put everything on hold. Indefinitely. But a spark had been lit. Each of us kept up exercising within the limits of government-imposed rules. In my case, I used the Como bridge as my treadmill, starting with two laps using my walking stick and building up to ten laps without it.
At the end of the first lockdown, most of us tentatively went back to the program. Others did not, too cautious about exposure to this new pandemic that seemed such a threat to people over 65. We were introduced to a variety of other classes to augment the gym: Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, Dance Moves, Barre, Boxing and Circuit classes. The Gymea Community Hall suddenly became transformed into a Health Club! The local cafes were literally being kept afloat by the before and after class coffee groups. We were stimulating the local economy as well as our own ageing bodies that suddenly felt so much more alive, flexible, stronger and pain free. At the end of the program, we were each individually reassessed by Brent who gleefully reported that each participant had improved significantly in each parameter measured! The astounding results helped secure further funding and now Jenny and Kalpna are managing Group 5.
But those amazing women didn't stop there. Seeing the obvious health benefits, as well as mental well-being from the new friendships, and mutual support groups, Jenny organised ongoing exercise programs at minimal costs to participants on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Their latest coup has been securing rental of the Sky Gym at Gymea during the middle of the day when it's usually unused. And that's where all the ladies were scurrying to from the car park in the rain. With an average age of 75, 23 men and women fronted up for the first session. We all finished exhausted but happy and took off for social gatherings in various subgroups.
What else could one do on a rainy day?
