Power Plate helps Berkley Care Home Residents to Move with Confidence
Bespoke program to encourage healthy movement sees measurable improvements to independence, activities of daily living and fall prevention.
Winifred (Win) Cluer
92, Ryefield Court
Aim
Win was able to stand and walk with the help of her zimmer frame, however she lacked confidence to
stand without aid. The Power Plate trial was focussed
on supporting Win to be able to stand with greater confidence unaided, even for just a short period of time. Win was looking forward to taking part in the trial and improving her fitness. She was keen to get more involved in the day to day activities she loves at the care home.
Action
Each week Win was focused on the chair standing test, working towards being able to stand without support or using her frame. In the beginning, Win was very reluctant to stand on the Power Plate machine. Each session she was guided by her assessor to build up muscle strength by performing leg lifts and arm curls, and other core exercises.
Achievements
On week one, Win was not confident to stand on the machine at all, but by week 4 she was able to do so for 30 seconds. With encouragement from staff and her aptitude in doing the weekly exercises on the machine, by the end of the trial Win was able to stand on her own for 120 seconds. Win now feels much more agile and confident, and is delighted with her accomplishment.
https://berkleycaregroup.co.uk
Peter Haddon
99, Leycester House
Aim
Due to a previous knee replacement, Peter often suffered a lot of stiffness and pain and this meant he was unable to walk.
The trial was to give Peter a safe and supportive way to gently get him moving again, helping with the pain and stiffness in his knees, and to at least start to walk short distances.
Action
Due to Peter’s pain and stiffness in his back and knees, he was encouraged in the beginning to do some light exercise, gently stretching his legs and arms on the Power Plate machine utilising the straps.
Each week he grew in confidence to do more invigorating exercises, such as heel flexes, arm curls and neck stretches. Alongside these movements using Power Plate, he was also given a 6 minute weekly walking test.
Achievements
During the trial Peter continued to suffer with his pre- existing pain and stiffness, but with support of his assessor over just a few sessions, he started to gain more confidence As Peter progressed, his stiffness reduced and his enthusiasm for doing the exercises increased.
By the end of the program, Peter was able to walk 5 metres unassisted.
https://berkleycaregroup.co.uk
Hilary Woodford
79, Shinfield View
Aim
The aim of the program was for Hilary to be able to walk from her bedroom to the common room.
In the last year, Hilary’s mobility had decreased dramatically, and she had become extremely tired when walking with her frame and sometimes needed to use a wheelchair.
Action
Hilary and her family were keen to take part in the program. Hilary used the Power Plate to work on both her upper and lower body strength, and took part in various movements including leg lifts and arm curls.
Across the 12 weeks Hilary was also tested on her improvements when performing steps on the machine and walking.
Achievements
Hilary made amazing progress across all of the exercises she took part in during the program. In week one, Hilary was only able to do 46 steps on the Power Plate within 6 minutes. By week 12 she was able to do the full 6 minutes of steps on the machine with ease.
During her walk test on week one, Hilary could manage just a few steps from her chair. Guided slowly in the beginning, by the end of the program Hilary was able to walk 11 metres along the corridor with confidence.
https://berkleycaregroup.co.uk/
