Feature
Page 9
Get fit, stay fit
"Argue your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours." - Richard Bach
When Peter Neville took up Tai Chi last year he was skeptical about its ability to have an effect on his health and fitness.
"I thought, 'what's the point of that exercise, it's not doing anything?' Now I realise that one exercise by itself doesn't change anything but the whole sequence makes a difference."
Peter has been totally blind since 1989. He's just one of a group of Dunedin members who have been taking advantage of an Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) funded Tai Chi class to get older people up and moving (and also reduce the incidence of falls). ACC researched the kind of community programmes that worked best. An Australian study had compared three different means of preventing falls amongst older people living in their own homes. Weekly group-based exercise was the most effective and Tai Chi proved just the answer. Based on a series of gentle, rhythmic movements and simple postures, Tai Chi is designed to improve co-ordination, relieve stress, promote overall well-being and strengthen the immune system. Based on Chinese teachings over 6,000 years old, Tai Chi is made up of 108 exercise sequences and is one of the most broadly applicable systems of self-care in the world.
On average a third of people aged 65 and older will fall at least once each year. Evidence has shown that Tai Chi can help prevent injury and disability in older adults. The benefits include:
- improved fitness
- increased muscular strength
- better balance
- better flexibility
- a reduced risk of falls
ACC now funds Tai Chi classes in several regions. Vision-impaired Dave Cunningham (83) and his wife Marie (78) also attend the twice-weekly Dunedin class.
"I look forward to going," says Dave. "You feel good afterwards, more motivated to do things. And my balance is better. We have a shower over the bathtub at home and I can get out of it now without any support."
Because Peter has no sight, the highly experienced instructor both describes the movements (each one has a name) and takes his hand through the movement. Tai Chi, says Peter, also helps his mental fitness.
"You have to be mentally alert to coordinate the hand and foot movements. And by the way, Tai
Page 10
Chi's a great warm-up for other activities. I've just come back from a tramp," he says, "and I was much more relaxed coming down hills and over tree stumps and roots. I had much better balance. One guy has taken up golf again because he can balance himself."
Sight loss is a common aspect of ageing, and vision impairment gives older people a higher risk of becoming inactive. Losing your sight affects the way you perceive the world but it needn't affect your ability to feel part of the world and take part in it, according to the Foundation's Child and Family Social Worker/Counsellor Gary Veenstra. Gary has supported many older members through the ups and downs of adjusting to a world with minimal vision. It all comes down, he says, to attitude.
"Staying positive and connected to the people and activities you enjoy is vital to good health."
Good mental health, or mental fitness, is helped considerably by physical fitness. University of Auckland lecturer Dr Ngaire Kerse says there is a link between levels of disability and depression in older people but that exercise can help. "It becomes a depression cycle. Disability levels lead to depression, and depression leads to disability, creating a downward spiral for older people. But there
Page 11
is growing evidence that regular exercise helps to improve a person's mood."
After age 70, aerobic capacity (i.e. how well you breathe) decreases by 20 per cent for every decade of life. But only if you're inactive. Stay fit and you can reverse the process. Regular exercise could bring about a 15 - 25 per cent improvement in aerobic capacity that would be equivalent to being 10 to 20 years younger! And even if you aren't physically active yet, you can become so by setting small achievable goals and building on them.
So, what can you do to regain that vitality you thought was gone, or keep it if you still feel young at heart? Suggestions for improving mental fitness include:
- Make use of the Foundation's recreation and leisure service (keeps you connected to others)
- Learn a new language (then travel to that country if you can!)
- Take a philosophy course (a good brain gym)
- Become a volunteer for an organisation
- Join your local Foundation community committee and take part in social activities and outings
- Make bingo sets and get a group together
- Do large print crosswords
- Join a walking group (take a sighted guide with you)
- Take up tandem biking or ballroom dancing
- Start a book discussion group or a speaker's corner
- Join Probus (an off-shoot of Rotary for retired people who are interested in world issues)
- Join the local bowls club or try aqua jogging at the local pool
- Think about ways to stay connected with your passions - if you were active in sport or business, become a consultant to those who are just getting started. Offer your experience.
Gary Veenstra says it's most important to ask for appropriate help to keep your life going.
"People don't like to ask others for help, to pick them up on the way to bowls or a family gathering," he says. "But I tell them to turn that thinking around. Asking for help is a way of staying independent, of being able to continue living in your own home and keeping your social network."
It's also essential to tell your family and close friends what's really going on for you. "There's a strong link between levels of disability and depression in older people. Talking about how you feel needn't be seen as 'oh, you're just complaining'."
Page 12
To get more people along to the Hamilton Blind Social Group, George Hawkins fashioned wooden bingo boards out of fairly heavy wood and divided the board into 12. He drilled a hole into each of the 12 squares for the marble to be inserted. Now, 12 blind members meet each week to play bingo.
"It gets their brains working and the feeling working through their fingers," George says. "It's been a wake-up call, otherwise people tend to sit there doing nothing. I love seeing the smiles when you've got a winner. They can't shout 'Bingo!' quick enough." George and his wife Linda are members of the Waikato Community Committee.
Amongst other activities the committee also offers a Braille Run every second year. A group of vintage cars head out to an airfield in Hamilton, with a blind person in each car navigating via braille, a pre-recorded tape or large print. All participants then fly in a microlite plane before heading back home for a barbecue.
Gary says that being part of community groups and activities ensures people don't become isolated and instead allows them to build strong support networks, make friends and keep active. "By getting out there and becoming involved in something you will be amazed at how much happier, independent and better you will feel," says Gary.
"Life is for living and just because you are getting older and may have a disability, this shouldn't stop you. Change the way you think, get out there and enjoy life."
To find out what activities are happening in your area contact your local Foundation office or the Recreation Advisor for your area on 0800 24 33 33. If you have a particular interest or hobby you would like to get involved in the Recreation Advisors are available to discuss options and support you in achieving your goals.
To join a Tai Chi class, look for a modified ACC class at www.acc.co.nz under injury prevention/preventing falls or call them on 0800 844 657.