Longtime athlete Adam deLevie doesn’t let his wheelchair prevent him from staying fit. But deLevie is uncomfortable when his wheelchair gets in the way of the workouts of others.
“I don’t like to get in the way,” said deLevie, 24, who was paralyzed from the waist down in 2008 by a rugby injury.
“As a person with a disability, I feel I get in the way a lot of the time,” he said.
“I just don’t want to bother other people.”
So deLevie is now president and part of a team starting a gym dedicated to the specialized needs of handicapped people.
Not only is he the chief executive, he even laid the floor planks.
Called MOVE Adapted Fitness and Rehabilitation Centre, to be located 302-531 Yates St., and set to open Nov. 14, the new gym will have equipment specialized for people with disabilities. Also, a specialized kinesiologist, assisted by a volunteer, will be on hand at all times.
People with spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, impairment from stroke, cerebral palsy or any other physical condition that keeps them out of a regular gym will be eligible.
Scott Heron of Victoria, peer support specialist with Spinal Cord Injury B.C., said MOVE is a great idea and will fill a need in the community.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for people with disabilities who want to get out and work on their strength and conditioning,” said Heron, who is paraplegic and has been involved with disabled sports and fitness.
He said some public facilities have made efforts to make gyms more accessible, but their success has been mixed.
The Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence has programs, but they’re aimed mostly at elite athletes who play high-level disabled sports.
Until now, nobody has developed a gym specifically for people with disabilities, with equipment and knowledgeable people to assist.
“It’s cool, to bring it all together under one roof in one place for people to gather,” Heron said.
Some of the specialized gear is complex and unlikely to be found anywhere outside of a rehabilitation centre or a gym like MOVE.
A standing frame, for example, allows even a quadriplegic to rise to full height. Strapped in, a user is stood up by an electric motor.
Once raised and supported in a standing position, users can even bear some of their own weight.
Even getting hearts to pump blood through a body’s full standing height can be great exercise for people confined to wheelchairs.
Other equipment is simple to produce or replicate, but are rare outside of rehabilitation facilities.
Parallel bars, for example, are set at a height to allow people in wheelchairs to lift themselves up with their arms and shoulders. Once upright, they can take steps using leg braces.
Another machine will offer pulley-operated weights but feature specialized Velcro straps, so a handicapped person, who might be unable to grip a handle, can still use the weight machine and get a workout.
Even gym mats, instead of being laid on the floor, are on tables or plinths, raised about 45 centimetres, making it much easier for person in a wheelchair to transfer over.
It also becomes much easier for a helper to assist disabled people, move their limbs or body, stretc out the back or rotate arms.
Hillary Acosta of Victoria, a physiotherapist specializing in neurology, has worked for more than a decade in clinics including the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver.
After helping people recover from accidents or strokes, Acosta was always frustrated when clients moved on.
“I always found it a struggle to find a place to send my clients just for exercise,” said Acosta,” who will be vice-president at MOVE.
“Once they are done with their rehabilitation, where can they go?” she said.
“I’ve tried fitness and community centres, but they don’t have enough help.”
Exercise benefits for people with disabilities are immense, Acosta said.
Improved blood flow from cardiovascular workouts can help prevent the formation of pressure sores, a common problem for people in wheelchairs.
Obesity, a continent-wide issue for all parts of society, is perhaps even more acute among disabled people.
Rehabilitation and disabled specialists even commonly refer to the “quad gut.” It refers to the belly that can form when the freedom of easy muscular movement is lost.
“So often they have no way of doing a cardiovascular movement on their own,” Acosta said.
“With some of my clients, I see them 10 or 15 years after their stroke or their injury and they can’t get out of bed,” she said.
“And the reason is they have gained 30 or 40 pounds.”
Even lying flat on a firm mat can be great therapy for a disabled person, stretching muscles and joints that otherwise remain static.
Rolling over to lie flat on the stomach can also be good therapy and feel great.
But for quadriplegics it can be impossible without knowledgeable assistance.
“And to find someone to assist you throughout your routine can be almost impossible,” Acosta said.
“So being able to go somewhere, five days a week, and to have someone to help them, and with specialized equipment, is a really big deal.”
ON THE MOVE
MOVE is now in the final process of becoming a not-for-profit society. Its current space has been donated for one year.
A fundraising fashion show is planned for Oct. 10 at Belmiro’s Restaurant, 777 Douglas St.
The gym will open for a trial period, Nov. 14 to Feb. 14, Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Membership will cost $50 a month and $10 a day for drop-in. Accompanying friends or family can also use the facility at the same time for the same fee.
One-on-one training will be $75 an hour, or $20 for 15 minutes.
Every prospective member will be interviewed and if concerns arise, a physical assessment may be required at an additional cost.
A fitness program will be developed for each member.
— Richard Watts
