A HANDICAPPED FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

AT LAST! A POOL FRIENDLY TO AQUATIC THERAPY
Tags: Benefits of aquatic therapy, handicapped friendly pool, muscle's memory 


As I said in my previous post, after our Georgia experience, finding a home in a community with a pool, friendly to aquatic therapy, was a must for us.
Sun City Center in Florida offered that. Its walking pool was exactly what we were looking for: 51 Feet long by 38 Feet wide and 3 1/2 Feet deep on the outer edge and 4 1/2 Feet deep on the inside at the center of the pool; under roof, with a water temperature of 89 to 92 degrees and a hydraulic lift that made it possible for my husband to get me in and out of it.

We started going to the pool immediately! It was a tremendous effort on me as well as on my husband, because we had to do so many transfers. 1. - Get me into our car; 2.- Take me out of the car; 3.- Lift me from my wheelchair into the lift chair and then, after we were done at the pool, do all three steps in reverse. At first I was terrified not only by having to transfer so many times but also of standing in the water. Not being into a pool for over 18 months had erased my muscles' memory on how much easier was to stand in the water. It took me some three weeks to feel confident and truly enjoyed the experience. But I was doing it!!

Remembering the words of advice of my doctor: Spend your actual supply of dysferlin -he said-, with the same prudence as you would spend money in a savings account that you know you will not be able to replenish. I was careful avoiding burnout, luckily God sent me an angel to coach me. Among the users of the pool was a gentleman that knew many exercises to help strengthen the muscles and he was kind enough to teach them to me. So, little by little I started gaining my strength.  Some days I was able to walk twice around the perimeter of the whole pool. I was thrilled; my husband was thrilled, even many of the other good people that exercised in that pool were thrilled with my improvement!  

My good fortune lasted until my husband's took his aneurysm annual scan. His cardiologist told him that the aneurysm had grown and it was time to do an Endovascular repair, which is a procedure that helps reinforced the weakened section of the aorta to prevent rupture of the aneurysm. His first recommendation was not to lift heavy weights: 'You are a ticking bomb' he said 'any effort can set you up'. We stopped going to the pool.

Again, the only way I had to exercise my muscles was interrupted. Again, my muscles were left to forget what they were supposed to do… "If you don't train your muscles, they won't be able to produce the force necessary to do it, even though your nerves know exactly which order to activate," Said Malene Lindholm, a molecular exercise physiologist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Original article on Live Science.
It was then that I began thinking on how convenient it would be to have your own little pool at home. But at the same time I also realized that in order for a handicapped person like me to use a pool even at home, a lift would be needed and then of course a person to help the handicapped get on and off that lift also would be a must! In other words: MONEY, LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY!!!

ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ

https://www.wrightpt.com/aquatic-therapy-principles/https://www.endlesspools.com/news/article/muscular-dystrophy

LOOKING BACK

I very much regret not doing Aquatic Therapy since early diagnosed.