Agnes McGlone has been participating in physical therapy at The Shea Center for ten months and, as our oldest client, will celebrate her 89th birthday next week! Agnes is the mother of Shea Center Chief Development Officer Agnes McGlone Swanson.

Agnes loves coming to The Shea Center where she performs therapeutic exercises at the barn and in the inclusive fitness center as part of her physical therapy regimen. A typical visit starts with a walk down to the barn to visit the horses. When Agnes enters the barn all of the horses turn to watch her and whinny excitedly. Agnes works on her endurance and balance by walking over uneven terrain up and down the barn aisles to visit each horse in its stall. After greeting each horse, Agnes works on maintaining the strength necessary for balance and safe ambulation while sitting or standing in the barn aisle.

On hotter days, Agnes prefers to utilize the inclusive fitness center (IFC) where it is cooler and out of the sun. In the IFC, Agnes steps over obstacles, practices balance on a foam pad, and performs sit to stand exercises to make sure she is prepared for any obstacles she may encounter when out walking in the community. She also participates in upper extremity strengthening, breathing exercises, and postural exercises.

Agnes’ time at The Shea Center is not only about her physical strength but also about social interactions between her and her therapist, the horses, and the other Shea staff and volunteers that love stopping to say “Hi” and visit with Agnes.

Agnes comments, “I love coming to therapy at The Shea Center and I enjoy spending time with my physical therapist, Jennifer Hawke. Jen is so nice to me and helps me push myself physically. I am so happy to have such a special person like Jen to work with every week to make me stronger, have better balance, and stay independent”.

We wish you the happiest of birthdays, Agnes!