There’s no stopping Sven

Sven Thorvaldson is proof that regional South Australians have the power to live a healthy lifestyle in retirement, thanks to hard work and the power of technology.

The Fairways Retirement Living resident is participating in Southern Cross Care and Country SA PHN’s 12-week Better for life in Country SA program and said it’s changed his life for the better.

“My wife has noticed that my general health has improved and I am much more active and moving (more) freely,” Sven said.

“I have achieved more than what I thought I could.”

Sven’s motivations for starting the program were to improve his agility, balance, coordination and strength to ensure he could complete daily tasks like shopping.

His tailored program includes a range of exercises including bicep curls, exercise band pulls and squats. 

The exercise sessions are delivered over telehealth video sessions with Southern Cross Care allied health employees, saving Sven many hours of driving to and from Adelaide. 

Sven mentioned a big positive for him was being able to help his daughter with setting up a new home office.

“I was delighted but also was not sure I would be able to do it,” Sven said.

“To my surprise, I was able to lift the heavy and large items such as the tabletop and office chair onto my roof rack with the help of an IKEA staff member.”

Sven plans to encourage other residents at The Fairways to try the program, and Southern Cross Care Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Julie Ly, said she was very impressed with his progress.

“Although we've had a couple of ups and downs with technology, Sven has been able to engage with us to complete his tailored exercise program and classes,”

“It was great to be able to work with Sven through both his technology issues, his health goals and movement concerns.”

“We've been able to see him engage with not just us, but also benefiting from meeting other participants in the program!”

The Better for life in Country SA program currently has over 25 participants from all over the state, on a normal day you can find Andrea, the Health wellness promoter delivering exercises to clients from Port Pirie, Kangaroo Island, Berri to Mount Gambier. 

This exciting new program aims to empower clients to improve their health and fitness from the comfort of their own home and is brought to you by Southern Cross Care and the Country SA PHN.

For more information, click here