Mr K - Healthy Lifestyles
Mr K is 60 and used to work as a builder. He contracted numerous joint problems in his knees, hips and one shoulder, which lead to chronic fatigue and severe weakness. He underwent several surgical operations without much improvement. However the operations did unfortunately result in further complexities in his health, because he developed a bad reaction to the painkillers, his mobility was impaired due to a severe pain, which consequently progressed to muscle wasting, weight gain and more problems.
Mr K was referred to the Healthy Lifestyles programme by his GP and after two weeks he started to demonstrate a remarkable improvement. He responded well to the physical management plan, his exercise tolerance increased, he lost weight with a healthier eating plan, and his depression was alleviated.
On-going access to the programme enables Mr K to continue progressing, which helps him to take better control of his symptoms and reduces the need for extensive medical treatment. His GP said that he has only visited the practice once since the referral, to confirm his progress.
Being in control of his symptoms gave Mr K satisfaction and the confidence to pursue new activities, which enabled him to put his experiences into a new perspective and achieve a better quality of life.
Healthy Lifestyles' work with elders was generously supported by the City Bridge Trust
