Hundreds of Older South Australians are Getting Physical

Southern Cross Care SA & NT has opened Health and Wellness Centres across six of its aged care facilities following a successful trial of the program.

This first round of Health and Wellness Centres have opened at Bucklands and The Pines in Plympton, Bellevue Court in Gawler, The Philip Kennedy Centre in Largs Bay, Mount Carmel in Rosewater and Lourdes Valley in Myrtle Bank (Unley Council).

A further nine Health and Wellness Centres are expected to open in the next 12 months.

Designed to promote active ageing among residents, the new centres will support Southern Cross Care's residential care customers to improve their overall mobility and strength, while helping increase their skills and maintain independence.

Each of the new Health and Wellness Centres will be fitted with a range of specialised exercise and rehabilitation equipment including recumbent bikes, seated elliptical trainers, handheld and strap on weights, balance boards, parallel bars and chi balls.

Doug Cockshell (pictured) lives at Southern Cross Care The Pines in Plympton and in 1953 was a Premiereship Footballer. You can read his story below: 

Is footy in your blood? Is fitness in your blood? Does your body still love the thrill of action? Why stop now? Doug hasn’t! In fact, when he heard The Pines Lodge had installed a new gym, he realized this was the best location for him to move to. It was “that time”. Time to move from his home at Normanville and to join the Southern Cross Care Community.

After a lifetime of action though, the last thing on his mind was to slow down.

He ‘worked out’ at gyms in Kilkenny, which lead to winning a medal in his first year of play with the Torrensville United District team, where he was picked up by the West Torrens SANFL Club, playing and winning the 1953 Grand Final Premiership. He’s spent a youth running along the foreshore at Henley and Grange, mucking around with the lads doing gymnastics and “tumbling”, he’s played in league football until he was told he was too old and he’s also worked in a Brewery even though he didn’t drink!

Doug’s motto is to keep lifting the weights as you will always see improvement. And, if you see improvement, it will spur you on to see more.

The early intervention trial program, which started earlier this year, has received positive response from residents and already shown strong improvements in their physical and mental health. 

Southern Cross Care Chief Executive Officer, Mr Andrew Larpent said, “Initial results have been nothing short of outstanding and demand from residents has far surpassed our expectations. Since implementing the trial program, we have been averaging more than 200 attendances per week across all six centres. Not only that, there is a list of residents eagerly waiting to make initial appointments to use the centres and a number of others currently seeking their GP clearances so they can take part."

He continues," We are seeing overall mobility improvements in residents including increased physical fitness, strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. They are showing high levels of independence and control, setting themselves personal and meaningful goals, and also gaining a sense of achievement from their efforts. Once residents see the impact the recovery and exercise programs have on their physical and mental health, they really become engaged with the process.”

The trial program has promoted a positive culture among residents.

The Health and Wellness Centres will be led by a team of Southern Cross Care Lifestyle Coordinators who have each completed their Certificate III in Fitness through the Australian Institute of Fitness.

The centres will initially be open to all residential aged care customers, with future plans to expand the program to include home and respite care customers.

Southern Cross Care is all about promoting active and healthy ageing, regardless of age or health conditions. Through these centres, they aim to empower residents to live an active, healthy lifestyle and to help them to do the things often taken for granted. Southern Cross Care encourages active ageing for all the community. That includes challenging society’s diminished expectations of older people.

Since 1968, Southern Cross Care SA & NT has provided residential care, retirement living and home care to nearly 5000 older South Australians.