Tony’s Journey

Tony (74) from Eccles is blind. He lost his vision later in life when he was working as a bricklayer and fell from a ladder. Tony was referred to us by a community connector in Salford as he was living in a first floor flat and very rarely leaving its confines.
Tony used to have a guide dog that sadly passed away a few years ago. He had cane training but lacked the confidence to use it on the streets.
Tony, with the aid of his dog used to attend Eccles Leisure centre regularly to attend the gym and use the swimming pool. He had a straightforward goal to get back to the gym. He admitted that lockdown had hit him hard as for the best part of 12 months the only visitor Tony had was a Salvation Army representative dropping off a food parcel.
Our Salford Lifestyle Coach, Eamonn was able to support Tony to re-join the leisure centre as his pass had expired. Since then the Lifestyle Coach has accompanied Tony to the gym and has guided him to the necessary equipment.
Tony has carers who visit twice a week and he has requested that on one of the occasions they accompany him to the gym The Lifestyle Coach printed out Tony’s gym programme making it easy for his carer to follow.
Tony was very complementary about the support he received, saying that it had made a great difference to his physical and mental wellbeing.
Tony also now has formed a band with his friends (he is learning how to play a guitar). They practise twice a week and play at community events.
The staff at the leisure centre have been very supportive and welcoming to Tony and since our support, he has gone from strength to strength, accessing the swimming pool, with staff assisting him to be safe in the water.
For a video to see and hear Tony talk about his experiences, see here.