Since April 2022, our five care homes have been working closely with Burns Gym to deliver virtual gym sessions for the residents.

During the pandemic it wasn’t possible for the older people living in our care homes to get out and about or do any of the things that we can all take for granted. The restrictions, that everyone was living with, significantly had a negative impact on people living in care homes.

Meanwhile, residents, like others, were introduced to virtual technologies to help them to engage with their families, friends and even their health care professionals. Our team therefore thought about how they could use this technology to help support the residents within our purpose-built services. One of the innovative solutions we had was to commission Burns Gym to deliver a virtual weekly exercise class that could be broadcast within the cinema rooms of all five care homes, supporting as many residents as possible to participate together in this.

Burns Gym, based in Glasgow, are two brothers Joe and Tony who have a personal training business and have a positive track record in supporting care homes residents to participate in physical activity. They also embraced the use of video technology at the beginning of the pandemic to continue to engage with their customers. Their classes are in line with the Care Inspectorate’s 'Care about Physical Activity' (CAPA) programme and seek to engage residents in chair-based exercises that are interactive. Music which the residents enjoy is used as the soundtrack to each session, and the brothers have even been known to get their kilts on to give everyone a chuckle. In creating a fun and vibrant atmosphere, residents can join in together and even get a ‘shout out’ over the MS Teams for birthdays or other special occasions.

This is a very new concept for some of our residents and has allowed them to both engage with Joe and Tony as well as see one another in the other care homes across Glasgow at the same time. The sessions bring people together and help improve their mental health as well as their confidence. They can even take part from the comfort of there own room if they wish.

Activity Co-ordinators are on hand to make sure that the residents are safe and encourage everyone to participate fully, and they’ve commented that this new way of working can complement other activities on offer within the care home.

Sessions in the virtual gym also aim to improve residents’ mobility and even reduce their risk of falls, which can have such a negative impact on the physical well-being of older people. There was one resident who was prone to falls due to mobility issues, however since taking part in the virtual sessions, they have experienced very few falls.

Head of Service for Residential and Day Care (Older People) Robin Wallace said: “I’ve been both delighted and encouraged to witness the positive impact that the virtual gym has had in supporting our residents to participate in sessions that build their strength, balance and confidence. I’m looking forward to how this project evolves as COVID-19 restrictions continue to lessen within our services. The opportunities for residents to get out and about with self-assurance that has been enhanced through this project.”