RaH Reigate help keep the local community steady on their feet

Qualified Physiotherapist and Right at Home franchise owner Apurva Sharma is using per professional expertise to supporting anyone in her local community who uses a walking aid.  

Apurva and the team at Right at Home Reigate and Crawley welcomed the Mayor of Reigate and Bankstead to their office, to celebrate the launch of their 'Falls Awareness in the Community' Campaign. 

They will be giving free advice, support, exercise programmes and walking aid checks (replacing rubber stoppers free of charge) to help people stay safe and steady on their feet, in their own homes and out in the community. 

Apurva has 20 years of physiotherapy experience from her former career, so she's ideally placed to help both her Clients and members of the wider community.

Since February 2017, her team has been offering free-of-charge physiotherapist-led exercise classes at a church in Redhill. After observing improvements in the physical and mental wellbeing of their regular attendees, Apurva enhanced her offering by providing free-of-charge walking aid checks.

The team are now also offering free guidance on simple changes people can make to their homes and lifestyles to prevent falls; as well as advice on what to do in the event of a fall, and support with falls aftercare.

These free-of-charge services are available to all local residents, not just Right at Home clients - and the team hope to carry out many more walking aid checks in the coming months. They will also be releasing a collection of exercises, proven to improve strength and balance, which people can safely practise in their own homes.

Apurva said: “It’s always been my desire to support the elderly to live well in the community. My Physiotherapy training means the team and I can support local people to understand the causes of falls, and pinpoint common contributing factors. We hope our efforts will help prevent future falls, in turn reducing the reliance on our already strained NHS.”

During his visit, Mayor Frank Kelly also presented some of the team with awards, including the office’s ‘Going the Extra Mile Award’, which recognises CareGivers who go above and beyond to provide care for their clients.

Mayor Frank Kelly said: “I am proud to be invited and involved in such a worthy cause. I know just how important it is to introduce these resources and support for the elderly, and in some cases, our younger generation too. This is such a useful initiative to have and will help many of our vulnerable residents stay safe and aware.”