Bikes offer lease of life to elderly residents
CARE home residents have been getting on their bikes, in the comfort of their front room.
Bowfell House care home in Urmston has had a delivery of a specially adapted Motitech exercise bike and people living there have been putting it to good use.
Norwegian company Motitech supplies exercise bikes that link up to TV monitors. These can show holiday destinations that residents might have travelled to in the past or of the local area where residents used to live.
The bikes have shown to help improve mental wellbeing, confidence and strengthened muscles.
Bowfell House has begun incorporating the bike into its activities schedule with residents using the bike to improve mobility.
One resident, Betty, has not been able to use her left leg since having a stroke. But the bike could be adapted to suit her needs and she is now able to move her left leg for the first time in a long time.
Two other residents, Jude and Irene, find gentle movement enables them to activate their legs in a safe, comfortable way.
Dennis has also found that using the bike helps him to relax, especially as he can sing along to the music that accompanies videos.
Meanwhile Allwyn has enjoyed the experience of cycling again as she used to do a lot of cycle touring with her husband.
A spokesperson for Bowfell said: “The bike is clearly more than just exercise for our residents – it brings people together and brings back memories.”