Taking a dip: (From front to back) Angelo Mavaracchio, Ernie Wyatt and John Randall.
Going for a swim: (Back row) Jan Christenson, Jon Davis, Melissa Kennedy. (Middle row) John Randall, Ernie Wyatt, Jim Farrell. (Front row) Angelo Mavaracchio, Bruce Shannon.
For many residents of aged care, people with disabilities and rehabilitation patients, the 30 minutes in Aquamoves’ hydro pool is the only meaningful movement they will be able to achieve all week.
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When 92-year-old Angelo Mavaracchio gets in the water, he can’t stop smiling.
Supported by his pool noodle, Mr Mavaracchio lets his body relax, relishing the mobility he can achieve in the water.
He’s only been attending for six weeks or so, but as soon as lifestyle co-ordinator Jan Christenson mentions the hydro pool, he’s there.
“With his medical conditions, he’s struggling to walk and these days he just finds that it’s helped him,” she said.
On the first visit, 93-year-old Ernie Wyatt must have been grinning ear to ear too because he managed to lose his false teeth, which floated about until he retrieved them.
While not everyone has false teeth, Ms Christenson said all of the residents that came to the pool required walking sticks or walking frames, like Jim Farrell, who has had operations on both his knees.
A lot of aged care residents haven’t been in the water for 30 to 40 years, while others never learned to swim.
Hydro pool: Melissa Kennedy assisting Jim Farrell, with Ernie photo bombing.
“A lot of the residents thought they would never get into the water again,” Ms Christenson said.
Mr Farrell, 93, never really swam before visiting Aquamoves, but now can’t get enough of the freedom he feels while moving his legs.
In the coming weeks, Ms Christenson hopes to bring the physios from Ave Maria to lead the residents through proper exercises to improve their quality of life on dry land.
Ms Christenson said aged care homes needed more volunteers to help take more residents to activities such as this that enriched their lives.
