Team GB gymnast teaches elderly people how to stay on their feet

Cartwheels and handstands might be beyond most elderly people.

But a former Team GB gymnast says their sporting techniques are key to helping them with their balance and co-ordination.

Fitness trainer Elizabeth Kelly, 42, who represented Great Britain in gymnastics in her teens, says she teaches her clients the same balance techniques that kept her on the beam when she was competing.

She is one of two former professional gymnasts working at a retirement complex in Hampshire. 

"A lot of older people's balance seems to go - they're not stable, and they're scared of falling," she said. 

"Gymnastics is very into balancing, and also the self-awareness of your body, to know your centre of gravity - everyone's centre of gravity is different, and to learn to use your core muscles to help your balance and also to shift your bodyweight.

"If they've fallen once, there's that fear of falling again."

Her work often involves training older people who have completed courses of physiotherapy to help them regain confidence following illness or injury. 

She said older people tend to "scurry along" and move quickly because their balance is failing, so the classes mainly focus on preserving balance and building core strength. 

One exercise involves asking someone to sit on the floor and working on techniques to stand up, as a practice in case they fall over. 

Methods include using a stable, solid chair as a lever to get them up off the floor. 

Success stories for the technique include a resident who could barely stand and can now walk 15 to 20 steps at a time. 

Another client suffering from osteoporosis struggled to open heavy push doors but is now able to go through the doors at the centre, she said. 

"It sounds trivial, but for somebody who thinks 'I can't go out today because I can't open the door', that grows independence and makes her stronger and more confident," Ms Kelly added. 

Ms Kelly is one of two former international gymnasts working at the health and wellness centre in Bishopstoke Park retirement village in Hampshire, which opened two and a half years ago. 

Her colleague Ana Bauer, 61, competed for Romania, and now runs Pilates classes for residents.