Everyone loves being invited to a wedding. Witnessing the exchange of vows and seeing all the wonderful outfits all make for an occasion to remember.
But if you’re a guest who is worried about your mobility on the big day, the excitement can turn to apprehension. That’s why The Physio Co client Daphne chose her grandson’s wedding as her goal during her exercise sessions.
After Daphne suffered a stroke, her mobility was affected and she struggled to walk on grass. Moving to an aged care home – and being limited by several months of lockdown – reduced her opportunity to walk on grassy areas to work on her balance.
So Daphne joined forces with her physiotherapist, Emily, to work out a timeline and targets for her exercise progress.
The target that meant the most to her was Ben and Alisa’s wedding, and there was no way she was going to use a wheelchair to get down the aisle on the day. Her goal: to walk into the venue with her stick and one person for support.
Emily said: “Of course, I loved this goal and was keen to create a plan that we could complete together to get her ready.”
Walking on grass
The preparation for smashing that goal involved checking out the wedding venue, and having learnt the entrance was grass, Emily needed to ensure Daphne was confident walking on that surface.
Fortunately, Daphne’s aged care home had enough suitable grassed areas to enable them to practise. The pair started on a small patch of grass then built up to a 20m stretch in the garden outside reception.
Emily showed some innovative ways of practising – on rainy days they tried to replicate walking on grass by layering towels.
This was supplemented with balance exercises and lower limb strengthening exercises.
Closer to the big day, Daphne’s son John, joined their sessions so he could have a go helping her walking on the grass while Emily provided some manual handling tips. He did a fantastic job!
Emily said: “Daphne put in an exceptional, sustained effort, which has been duly rewarded. I was joyful when her daughter sent me through a card and a photo of the beautiful Daphne smashing her goal and smiling so broadly on the big day. It was lovely.”
For her part, Daphne enjoyed being able to see her grandson tie the knot.
Lovely day
“Physio helped me get to the wedding and I got to the stage that, ‘This is what I am going to do’. I just want to thank God that is helping us all and making the wedding a lovely day for everybody.”
With TPC, once one goal is achieved, a new one takes its place, and Daphne’s ongoing target is to improve her walking and exercise endurance well enough to walk to bingo upstairs.
Given her determination in smashing the first goal, we just know Daphne will accomplish the next one with flying colours. Well done Daphne!