Power, courage and incredible performance in a games like no other.

Written by Simon Kerrigan for Fusion Magazine LASA, September 2021.
View original article here.

On 29 July 1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics, Dr Ludwig Guttmann launched the Stoke Mandeville Games. The games consisted of 16 competitors and one event, and were shrouded in scepticism. The purpose was to assist in the rehabilitation of injured servicemen and women post World War II. Seventythree years later, Dr Ludwig’s games have evolved into the Paralympic movement which we know today.

The name ‘Paralympics’ is not a reference to disability, but to the fact that the games run in parallel to the Olympics. Dr Guttmann challenged his patients to not “worry about what you have lost. Just make the most of what you have left. Remember, what counts is ability, not disability”. Today’s Paralympians have certainly embraced this mantra.

Every four years, we marvel at the superhuman athletes who propel wheelchairs around athletics tracks and weave across tennis courts. We watch in wonder as table tennis paddles are gripped between teeth and archery bows are clasped with toes. We admire the fearlessness of vision impaired cyclists who race around the velodrome. And we cheer as amputee athletes swim without arms and jump with prosthetic legs. Paralympians give us the belief that anything is possible.

On 24 August 2021, the first day of the Tokyo Paralympics, Guide Healthcare held our Opening Ceremony for the inaugural Powerlympic Games. We decided that residential aged care needed an event where residents from across Australia could compete alongside athletes from around the world.

The games were designed to create a purpose, to motivate residents to exercise, to harness competitiveness and to strengthen the sense of comradery and community. Most of all, they were about having fun! The games consisted of four events—cycling, rowing, long jump, and weightlifting. Each event had two categories, to ensure that as many residents as possible could compete.

Over the four weeks of competition, we uncovered a 102-year-old weightlifter from Wollongong. She completed ten deadlifts of a four-kilogram kettlebell in thirty seconds. Our gold medallist from the Central Coast completed 39 lifts of an eight-kilogram kettlebell.

We had an 82-year-old resident in Canberra launch 88 centimetres in the unassisted long jump; a resident from Goulburn jumped 150 centimetres in the parallel bars; one of our competitors from Canberra won gold in the 90-second rowing, by pulling his way to 648 metres; and in the cycling, our winner completed 300 metres in under 20 seconds!

Like the Paralympians, our residents are inspiring. Each day, they overcome incredible obstacles with humility, courage, and a smile. We wanted to empower our residents to believe that they are capable of feats beyond their expectations. Instead, they made us realise that their capabilities were beyond our expectations as well.

The inaugural Powerlympics saw more than 300 older athletes and more than 70 staff members compete for their homes. Just like the Paralympics, great ideas need humble beginnings; it’s our passion and drive that ensures success.

Dr Guttman was quoted as saying, “If I did one good thing in my career, it was to introduce sport into the rehabilitation of disabled people.” At Guide Healthcare, we believe sport has the power to create the same impact in aged care. It’s up to us to make it happen.

Simon Kerrigan is Physiotherapist and Managing Director, Guide Healthcare.