Elite Athlete to Couch Potato
By Liz
One intended legacy of London hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games is for more people to take up sport at every level. Rarely, if ever, do host countries achieve this aim but for those of us who need support from another person in order to exercise, no matter how much we want to do it, all too often, we simply do not get the chance.
I am deafblind, as well as being a wheelchair user and having other medical issues. I am unable to get out and about myself; I need two hands to propel my wheelchair and a third hand to use a long cane and, strangely enough, I don’t have three hands! I cannot communicate with people if I am out and about or at leisure facilities. Together, these barriers make it impossible for me to lead an active lifestyle unless I have support from a suitably skilled person.
Without regular exercise I get stressed. And depressed. Lack of exercise won’t be helping my physical impairment. Just a little exercise on a regular basis goes a long way to keeping me physically and mentally fit, which, in turn, prevents me developing more serious and expensive health and social care needs.
Before I became deafblind, sport was a major part of my life. I competed in European and world swimming championships, as well as taking part in various other sports. When London was announced as the host for the 2012 games, I wanted to get back in the pool and go for gold but without support I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t expect social services to pay for all of the support I’d need to take part in competitive sport. I do, however, think that social services should provide support for me to be able to take a moderate amount of regular exercise to keep fit.
I have become a couch potato and I am, in effect, a prisoner in my own home. It’s disturbing to think that if I were an inmate in a prison I would be entitled to more exercise than I currently am. Prisoners are normally allowed at least half an hour in the open air every day and at least an hour of sport every week but I am not allowed any support to enable me to exercise. If the criminal justice system can recognize the importance of exercise, so, too, should the social care system.
Comments
Virginia Thornton
4 September 2012 - 3:05pm
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I wonder how many medals GB missed out on because we didn't allow people the basic support to get involved in sport. And the fact about prisoners having more rights is just shocking!
Ms Nomer
6 September 2012 - 12:21pm
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Really good blog. I was really shocked to see that we make sure that prisoners get 1/2 hour exercise a day and another hour of sport a week (I think they should get this, by the way), but that it appears to be no-one's responsibility to help deafblind people exercise. The government can't really say it's serious about prevention of health conditions that are made worse by exercise if it can't get this right for deafblind people.
Sasha
14 September 2012 - 12:04pm
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Government can't say they are serious about tackling public health issues and deny people support to exercise.
I may be wrong but I don't think there were any S11 women swimmers from GB. Perhaps nobody is getting the chance to get involved now. So sad. I'm not sure I agree that social services shouldn't pay for all the support you need. If not them then who? maybe the sports bodies need to do something about this too.
It's v wrong that people can't get even a moderate amount of exercise. Government and local authorities need to sort their act out. Now.
Susie
21 September 2012 - 9:01am
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How can Government tell us all to take more exercise whilst it fails to give social care the funding it needs, and takes so long to put in place reforms to social care, so that people who need support to take exercise cannot take it. Hypocrits.
But how about our own deafblind games? As many of us can't take part in sports because of lack of support, perhaps the deafblind games could be a competition to see who wins the most fights against discrimination, prejudice and lack of awareness within the fortnight of the games?
Gill Morbey
30 May 2013 - 9:50am
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It doesn't make moral, social or financial sense to 'disregard' people in this way. It diminishes us and our society. These 'life stories' should only increase our resolve to do more.
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