Worth the weight – Eye care home surprises resident with return to the gym

After more than a year of restrictions, a care home in Eye was able to fulfil a resident’s wish to return to the gym. 

73-year-old Pam Allen Jones, a resident at Care UK’s Hartismere Place, on Castleton Way, regularly went to the gym until the age of 60, but had decided to stop when she moved into the home in 2019.

The team at Hartismere Place were thrilled to organise for Pam to visit the Willow Spa Gym and Fitness Centre, where she was able to enjoy a personal training session with fitness instructor, Tim. The session included time on the treadmill, leg press and work with free weights to increase her confidence in the gym. 

Commenting on the session, Pam said: “I have always enjoyed keeping fit, and am keen to keep as mobile as possible. It felt great to get back into the gym again and push myself, and to have the support of a fitness instructor really helped to boost my confidence”. 

The outing came as part of Care UK’s Wishing Tree initiative which sees its care homes go above and beyond to grant the wishes of residents. 

Marie Reeve, Home Manager at Hartismere Place, said: “Pam’s first ever personal training session was a real hit, and there’s no doubt she’ll be talking about it for weeks to come.

“We know how much Pam values her independence and ability to exercise, which is why we were so pleased to help kickstart her return to the gym. Exercise is incredibly beneficial, especially for older people, and we are always keen to support residents to maintain their mobility and independence as much as possible.

“We hope this is the first of many trips to the gym for Pam, and have already organised the next one!”

Hartismere Place has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives. The home provides full-time residential, residential dementia, as well as short term respite care.

To find out more about Hartismere Place, please contact Customer Relations Manager, Angela Hodge, on 01379 888276, or angela.hodge@careuk.com.

For more general information visit careuk.com/hartismere-place.