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Stronger In So Many Ways – Laura J Graham
This is my Great Aunt Louise. Originally from the south shore of Nova Scotia, my 95 year-old Aunt has been living independently in her Etobicoke home until she was recently offered to sell. During one of my first visits to Ontario, my aunt told me that she regularly walks her neighbourhood and does sit-ups and push-ups, daily. She is one of six sisters whom have all lived long, healthy lives. Not only is my Great Aunt Louise strong, independent and a model of healthy aging, she is legally blind. Unfortunately, not all of my family members perceive and engage in exercise as a means to self-care: My grandfather died of complications related to his diabetes. He worked hard operating a crane and paving our highways to support my father and his four siblings growing up. My grandfather had access to a supportive social network of neighbours, friends and family, but during his recovery from bilateral leg amputations he fell using his prosthetics. His spirit was broken. He had lost his strength to continue and we could not motivate him to try walking again. He adopted a highly sedentary lifestyle and his health slowly declined. I am left wondering why one person might engage in exercise to care for oneself while another would not.
Exercise may be considered a panacea for care in  physiotherapy and health promotion, but it is just one way that we as health professionals can help the members of our communities become stronger.
To me, helping people become stronger means facilitating an individual’s ability to maintain their functional independence as they strive to age well.
I have chosen to become a physiotherapist to gain both the skill set and knowledge that I believe are necessary to appropriately contribute to the wellness of my community and to help the Great Aunts and Grampies of our country become stronger.
Laura J Graham
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