Ray O'Brien - A reason to get up and get going
Ray O'Brien fell victim to a knee replacement 2 years ago.
As Ray convalesced, he became more and more sedentary. This was especially tough for a father of nine, who had been physically active all his life.
Ray was house-bound, his hips were painful from the constant sitting and he struggled to find the energy to get up in the morning. At times he was struggling to walk, let alone get back onto the bowling green and enjoy his sport. Ray’s confidence was knocked badly.
Ray admits, that as you get older, you start to 'shuffle' rather than lift your feet. He attributes this to the fear of falling, and the stiffness through lack of use of the joints.
As a follow-up to his knee replacement, Ray visited his GP, Dr Nick Terpstra, who suggested that a Green Prescription would be of great assistance to regaining his independence.
Ann Robbie from Sport Southland's Green Prescription team, made contact with Ray. With Ann’s encouragement, Ray signed up for Sport Southland’s Movement for Health (Modified Tai Chi) classes, which are funded by ACC.
Ray is full of praise for the Green Prescription Programme. "Sport Southland deserves a huge pat on the back for the work they do outside of the sport area".
Within a short time, Ray’s friends and family noticed a huge improvement in his mobility. His wife Val has now joined the Movement for Health classes so she can keep up with him. Val and Ray thoroughly enjoy the classes, “You laugh lots, but best of all it gives you a reason to get up and going. It's one of the best things we have ever done and we look forward to each and every day. Our son Paddy has actually regularly commented about the huge improvement that physical activity has made to our lives.”
Ray’s confidence is back, he’s up early each morning and, best of all, he’s playing bowls again!
Ray’s advice to anyone out there contemplating the future& Use it or Lose it!
