Pilates class for people with CKD/ on dialysis?? thoughts?

[Roxy]

Hey Everyone! As some of you know I had my Transplant 5.5years ago. I had a rejection episode about a year ago and am now at a Creatinine of about 3.0 and holding for now. I recently opened a Pilates Studio with a business partner ( who in addition to being a Pilates instructor as well, she has a background as a Physical Therapist) and one of the things I had thought about wanting to do was get a class going specifically for those of us with CKD/on dialysis or with transplant. It's hard enough to get motivated and have energy to exercise alone with everything we have going on so I thought an exercise group with people who understand and are supportive would be a good thing.  I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were? Any suggestions?

  in advance for any advice 

[MooseMom]

I'm not sure how many people you would get if you limited your clientele to just those with CKD/ESRD/tx.  Why not open the class to anyone with a chronic illness of any kind?  I'm sure that people with cancer or MS or some other malady would benefit from any class that offers gentle exercise and relaxation!

Good luck!

[Roxy]

Thank you MM for your feedback!! We obviously adjust things for anybody with any issue or injury in our regular classes as well and have a variety of class options from beginner to advanced. I wanted to just create something that would be more geared towards something "restorative" i guess while still getting the fitness in. That's a really good point of opening it up though to a more generalized restorative fitness population.

 

[Deanne]

I have a friend who attends a pilates class for parkinson's patients. I know it isn't anywhere close to the same, but the idea of specialized pilates classes is out there. It seems like it could work for dialysis patients, too. I think my friend's class only has a half dozen people in it and she appreciates the smaller class size.

[WishIKnew]

I think it's a great idea.  I recently discovered yoga and love it.  Best of luck to you!

[Roxy]

Deanne- That's great to hear, thank you! I currently have private clients with a variety of ailments from cerebral palsy to MS to those who have had strokes etc. I recognize that some could easily ( depending on how severe their condition) can join regular group classes, but other people may feel more comfortable in a class that's a little more geared towards their specific needs which won't necessarily be able to be met in a regular group class environment. In reality, private sessions are best but they are expensive and not everyone can afford them so my desire is to bring the benefits of Pilates to everybody in an affordable, comfortable atmosphere. I guess in my thinking, everybody will benefit from Pilates but sometimes it's nice to have a specialty class so you can focus on some more specified things that the whole class needs. Also, our classes are limited to 8 people so we can give more personalized attention. I'm wondering now if maybe there should be a couple different types of speciality classes.

WishIKnew-  That's so great that you're doing yoga! It is a great practice. It's great when you're able to find some form of exercise that not only makes you feel good, but you enjoy it too.

[MooseMom]

Thank you MM for your feedback!! We obviously adjust things for anybody with any issue or injury in our regular classes as well and have a variety of class options from beginner to advanced. I wanted to just create something that would be more geared towards something "restorative" i guess while still getting the fitness in. That's a really good point of opening it up though to a more generalized restorative fitness population.

 

"Restorative"...yes, that's it!

I understand your idea of having a "special needs" class.  I think anyone with a chronic condition will have some empathy and understanding for others in the class who also have a chronic condition, but the trick will be, I guess, to more specifically define and then colate these special needs.  For instance, the sight-impaired and the hearing-impaired both have "special needs", but those needs are addressed in very different ways. 

In your view, how would the needs of a renal patient be different from those of someone with, say, MS?  Would you teach them pilates in the same way?

This is a very interesting conversation, and I'm so glad to hear of someone who thinks about special populations!  Kudos to you!!