Does anyone know where I can find a personal fitness trainer who deals with PD. My physio wont recommend anyone and says look on line!
Hi CJ1,
Our helpline team specializes in finding local resources, including exercise and fitness programs. Please do reach out to them on 0808 800 0303.
Best of luck,
Jason
Forum Moderator
I actually found mine online and have been with her now for nearly two years. I wanted someone who would come to my home and searched for that. Claire lives not far from me and I liked her website so I made email contact and explained my circumstances and in her reply she said that she had some clients with Parkinson’s and her grandfather had it. The tone of her email was professional but friendly. We arranged to meet so I was able to ask about her qualifications, how she worked etc. She also completed a health questionnaire and we discussed my aims. I felt very comfortable with her but in the beginning did not over commit - it’s cheaper to block book - at the beginning I paid for a 30 min session at a time. The day before my first session she emailed to make sure I was ok and not worrying about the first session etc. At the first session she quickly put me at my ease and the 30 mins went very fast. Later that day she rang to make sure I was alright and next day I got an email making sure I was ok. I think so long as you take the trouble to find out about their qualifications and experience, they ask you questions you would expect to be asked and you find out about how they run their sessions (eg was there enough space in my flat, did I need any equipment etc)and most important you feel comfortable with them, then you may think it’s worth giving them a try but don’t commit to a number of sessions until you are sure. Mine offers 30, 45 and 60 minute sessions so I was able to have a gradual increase. I have been doing 2 x 1 hour sessions for some time and in a couple of months I am increasing this to 3 x 1 hour per week. It has made a huge difference to me and if you don’t know anyone who can give a personal recommendation then I think you have to trust your own judgement and as long as you don’t immediately sign up for a long block booking and do it week to week as I did you are not obligated to stay. Remember you are paying for a service from them and if they don’t provide the quality of service you want you can take your business elsewhere. I wish you luck and do let us know how you get on.
Tot
I understand how crucial it is to find a personal fitness trainer who’s well-versed in working with conditions like PD. It can indeed be frustrating when even your physio doesn’t have recommendations.
But don’t lose hope! As far as I know, the Gym Telford community is a fantastic resource for fitness enthusiasts. They often discuss workout routines, nutrition plans, and could potentially connect you with a trainer who specializes in PD.
Keep checking their forums or social media, and you might stumble upon some valuable recommendations.
The reason health professionals can’t recommend services or products is because they have to be neutral and not seen to endorse one person or product over another. It avoids conflict of interest situations and there is no incentive for the organisation to ‘reward’ the healthcare professional to put more work their way. It is essentially a safeguarding measure to protect both the client and healthcare professional. I appreciate this does seem like a hammer to crack a nut, but there are ways of managing this sort of thing so the client is not left completely high and dry. Formally however a healthcare worker would be acting unprofessionally to give a personal recommendation.
Tot