Hook Home Help is helping older people in our local community to live as happily and as healthily as possible, and this week we go to yoga

These are two very special people who light up my life. A lot of people will know Ray - the ray of sunshine from The Park Health Club. Always smiling and so kind. I met the lovely Lilly last year when she had fallen over and broken her knee. Poor thing. She told us the story on Friday - they had been in the airport when she fell over. 

Ray gasped and said, “Did you have to cancel the holiday?”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t let them! I said we must all go on holiday anyway and we did. If I have a broken leg, I may as well have it in Greece!”.

The whole leg was in a metal frame for weeks. When I first met her she could hardly move, it hurt so much. My job was to give her lunch, let the dog out and let her daughter know she was OK. What a lovely lady. I loved her from the start. Her gentle nature and her love for her dog and her family - she is so sweet. 

She slowly got better and I was redundant for a while but then I was called back to take her to physiotherapy. Each month she did her exercises and got stronger and stronger. Since then we have been to a whole variety of hospital appointments. I take her along and help her find the department and help her with the forms and she always says, “You are such a good friend, and I am so lucky to have you”.

Then I met Ray and went to his gentle yoga and I said maybe one day my Lilly will be strong enough to come along to this class and, six months later here we are. He was so welcoming and made sure she had somewhere to sit down in case she needed it. She was quite nervous at the beginning. I put my mat next to hers and kept an eye on her. She was hesitant at first but soon she was touching her toes better than most of us!

Yoga is perfect for older people or anyone new to exercise. Yoga increases joint mobility, strength and balance, which are all important factors in reducing the risk of falls and increasing our quality of life and longevity. Ray’s yoga is particularly good. He teaches with a happy flow of positivity reminding us to “let go of the there and then and be in the here and now”. He reminds us to focus on ourselves and our own bodies and do what feels right for us. 

At the end she was delighted. She admitted how nervous she had been and how hard it is to go from being very physically able to being quite limited. But it is the doing it that makes us stronger. She was so happy and kept saying, “Please send me the photo!”. 

She said, “I can’t believe I am starting something new at 85!” and laughed so happily. It can be hard to start a new thing on your own but going together made it possible. We will be back and we will be trying other things.

Hook Home Help is helping older in our local community to live as happily and as healthily as possible. We remember how you like your coffee, we take you to physio, we help with forms, appointments and transport, and this week we go to yoga