Stella Faulisi is a fighter. And she’s proud to say she’s physically fitter now than when she received her diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease a few years ago.
“I have to be,” Stella explains. “Parkinson’s has a way of taking hold of you otherwise. Deterioration is inevitable, but I firmly believe that I can stall it with exercise and movement.”
The 74-year-old Mitcham resident is working out weekly at the Seniors Gym at the Forest Hill AgeWell Centre after having completed an intensive eight-week Parkinson’s Group rehab therapy program with physiotherapist Lilita Laurins.
The centre-based rehab focuses on strategies with gait, balance, mobility, turning and teaching clients how to cope with ‘freezing’ symptoms - when the body seizes up. It’s tailor-made rehab to suit their individual needs.
And Stella is doing exactly what Lilita aims for her clients with Parkinson’s disease. To help them become mobile enough so they can use these strategies to build up strength in the gym sessions after their eight weeks of intensive rehab are up.
The Seniors Gym has health and fitness equipment designed for older people using some equipment with air resistance and also a combination of functional exercises in a hybrid approach tailored to a person’s abilities.
According to Stella, the mental positivity that exercise generates is an important part of the mix
“I’ve watched people go downhill fast when they are negative about things,” says Stella. “I believe that our lives have to be better by keeping fit. The exercise has given me not just the physical but the emotional strength to help deal with this disease. By staying positive, the whole Parkinson’s journey is a better one – no matter the inevitable ending.”
It also means she has more strength to do the things that she loves – cooking, reading and gardening. She adores Italian cooking, and loves entertaining friends and family.
Stella is taking things one step further. She’s also joined weekly hydrotherapy classes at Aqualink Box Hill through Uniting AgeWell to extend her body’s capabilities even further.
Uniting AgeWell Operations Manager Allied Health Clare Irvine says the hydrotherapy class that Stella attends is a pilot program which runs until the end of the year. It will then be evaluated, and a decision will be taken whether to roll it out to all AgeWell sites across Melbourne to partner with their nearby swimming pool.
Paul Warwick, Director, AgeWell Centres (Victoria) says wonderful examples like this are evidence that AgeWell Centres are making a difference in older people’s lives. Paul says the AgeWell teams work with customers enabling them to achieve what is important for them to remain independent and living at home. “This is done through a variety of programs and activities that are designed with and for our customers,” says Paul. “Our teams are truly making a difference!”
Stella, who is a grandmother, agrees – but also thinks her resilience stems back to her childhood. “My family arrived in Australia in the 1950’s – and we all only spoke Italian. We went to school and we quickly learned how to speak English and cope. And do well!”