Health Workshop & ExWell Masterclass

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To celebrate moving our programme to the fabulous St Fiacc’s Hall, we joined forces with Dr Clare Lodge (and her wonderful students) from SETU ran a Wellness Workshop for our participants. 

 

The programme included two short talks (on sciatica and lateral hip pain) combined with two practical sessions in which the participants were shown simple and effective exercises for people with these conditions and had an opportunity to practise doing these exercises  under the watchful eye of Clare Lodge, Noel McCaffrey, the ExWell team (Amy and Brian) and the SETU students. 

 

After a break for coffee the workshop finished with a 1-hour exercise class combining aerobic, strength and balance exercises and some dance.  It is fair to say everyone worked hard in the class and really enjoyed it.  

 

The day was a huge success and sincere thanks go to Clare Lodge, her students and all our colleagues in SETU,  to our own Amy and Brian for all the preparation that went into the event, to the staff at St Fiacc’s for all the help they gave us, and above all to the participants who attended and contributed so much to making the day great fun for everyone. These people are the focus of all our work 

 

Two of the attendees took time to share their stories 

 

Mary O'Brien, aged 76 yrs, has two problems. The first is a knee ligament injury caused by a fall two years ago. She has had knee pain ever since. The second is a rare condition called Paget's Disease which resulted in Mary having persistent ankle and foot pain. 

 

Mary wasn't making any progress and needed crutches or a walking stick to get about. Since joining ExWell this has all changed. She no longer needs the crutches or the walking stick. Her confidence has improved dramatically and she really enjoys the social aspect of the classes. She feels she is improving all the time.

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Vinnie Byrne, aged 67 years, has COPD, a chronic condition that affects the lungs. He was referred to the ExWell programne from the HSE's pulmonary rehab team in Naas. 

 

Before joining ExWell Vinnie's mobility was very limited. He could only manage 10 minutes of slow walking and could not  lift anything heavy because of breathlessness. He had become resigned to this way of life and saw no way to improve. 

 

Vinnie says that the change since he joined ExWell has been amazing and has changed his life.  He finds the staff brilliant and really appreciates the encouragement they gave him early on.  He eased into the programme but “is now flying”.  He is no longer afraid of being a little breathless. Incredibly, he is back walking  gardening and even jogging.

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