Margaret was living in a flat a few years ago when she had a fall and broke her hip. “I lost my confidence in getting out and about on my own”, says Margaret. “I used a walking stick for a long time, and while I had no serious accidents or breaks I was still having small falls.
Margaret then moved into supported housing. The support that Margaret receives at her Extra Care scheme means that she has been able to keep living independently, with accessible facilities and support on hand whenever she needs it. Moving into Mytholm Meadows soon gave Margaret the confidence she needed to get going again, and when she got herself a walker it wasn’t long before she was regaining confidence.
“The walker helped me a lot and I was able to get around the scheme easily, but I still felt nervous about going any further. That’s when I joined the Walking for Health group with my friend Julie.
“Walking for Health is run by Ted, one of our local Practice Health Champions. He comes into our supported housing scheme every Monday morning and helps us to do a route around the scheme, stopping along the way to do stretches. The route challenges me because it has some slopes, a few steps and uneven paths – but it has really helped me to feel more confident about using my walker outside.
“After nine months of the Monday morning routine, I decided to be brave and tackle getting on the bus. Julie and I caught the bus to Todmorden and walked all around the market and even stopped for a cuppa. I feel so proud of myself; I know that I couldn’t have done this without Walking For Health or my supported housing scheme. The future is bright and I’m planning more trips out and about on my own.”
