With a love of exercise and a desire to help people I got in touch with Dr. Susie Dinan-Young, fitness guru for older adults and the Senior Clinical Exercise Practitioner and Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust. I began working for Susie and, in this privileged role, she became my mentor. During this period (and after lots of studying and examinations) I taught exercise ses
sions in various hospital settings including Old Age Psychiatry, Phase III and Phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation, Peripheral Vascular Disease and Palliative Care. I later delivered exercise on the 'Bonewise' service for people with osteopenia and osteoporosis and, after completing my Postural Stability qualification, became involved in delivering falls prevention classes in the hospital and community. Other work involved Chair Based exercise sessions in GP surgeries for their frailer patients and tutoring students on the Chair Based Exercise Leaders course itself. Outside my work with Susie, I was employed by a GP referral scheme in the London Borough of Barnet and by Different Strokes to teach weekly exercise classes to stroke survivors. Throughout my career so many referrals came from physiotherapy departments. It seemed a natural progression to embark on a second degree in Physiotherapy in order to progress my career. I got a scholarship to study physio at Brunel University in London. I completed my studies and dissertation and was one clinical placement away from graduating when I had my son. This changed my direction in life completely. I decided to put my career 'on hold' to raise my little boy. Not long after, I relocated from London to be near family living the the Cotswolds. I am now employed by Age UK to deliver exercise to Parkinson's patients in Oxfordshire. I am also a cover teacher for the Cotswold District Council (teaching their postural stability classes) and for Everyone Active (teaching their cardiac rehabilitation classes). Living in Bourton I would like to make a difference in my own community and plan to set up classes where there is a need.
