Reprint of 2023 FCSN Gala entry

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A year ago this Health-Physical Therapy program started off with a casual conversation in a hallway. Bob Carlson (FCSN long-term volunteer) came to me and asked if I would be willing to lead a program once a week to benefit the clients at FCSN South Bay Adult Day Program. I was intrigued. 

We started the Health-Physical Therapy Class with bewilderment and wonder. Our immediate goal was to improve the physical constraints that had arose during the pandemic. The clients, like many across our nation, had fallen victim to too much sitting and to the social limitations imposed from a prolonged pandemic. Our goal was bettering overall health by focusing on posture, eye-hand coordination and strength issues.

We started with fundamentals of movement and having fun. We begin each class with dancing as our warm up. And, over time we discovered that the clients love musical chairs. We end each session with that. When assessing the capabilities for strength, eye-hand coordination, flexibility and balance, we found they were very limited. Since each client has unique needs, we quickly figured out that we need to break them into two groups. The first group would need more one-on-one attention and the second group would participate in more challenging tasks.

As the first group needed more one-on-one assistance, we focused on strengthening and stretching as well as eye-hand coordination. Throwing a ball for many of them was not possible. But, practicing weeks after weeks for almost a year by now, they overcame major limitations with vision and attention deficit. They are all able to master the eye-hand coordination of catching and balancing a ball. Plus, their posture and flexibility has changed dramatically. When we first started, this group was unable to play musical chairs. Now, when we play they still need a little guidance as it’s not uncommon that they may wander off but they understand the basics of the game and enjoy playing it each week.

In our second group we always start with a dance circle. This evolved over time as we learned how to motivate them. Each client needs to go in the middle of the dance circle. The person in the middle is then followed by the rest of us. We all have so much fun doing this! There are always big belly laughs as we let loose and have fun! This group has accomplished amazing feats. They have perfected a one-minute plank, pushups, and so many other physical endeavors. But the most amazing transformation is the social engagement. We have seen tremendous growth with eye contact and how clients that couldn’t even look us in the eye when we started are actively doing exercises in teams with a partner and having fun!

We now have six of us plus the amazing aides and FCSN instructors that participate in helping the clients each week. The level of willingness and effort is remarkable. It’s an honor to share our Wednesday morning with them! On the surface an outsider would see their disabilities or limitations but what’s most impressive is their love, kindness, and fun. They are incredibly capable. They find ways to be successful in ways that inspire and impress us. We are so proud of the accomplishments they have made!

As we move forward, we are continually making efforts to provide them the best results possible. We are inspired and honored to share our time with them, and we are looking forward to planning more activities and recognition for them as we enter into the fall and winter months!