POM POM CLASSES KEEP FOLK FIT – AND FIGHT EFFECTS OF DEMENTIA

Somerset-based entertainer Tina B has launched Pom Pom Dance exercise classes at Avalon Nursing Home in Bridgwater to help elderly residents stay mobile and keep fit.

Tina takes seated Pom Pom Dance classes and choreographs routines to modern music with an old twist or old music with a modern twist.

Emma Hill, activities co-ordinator for Avalon which specialises in caring for people living with dementia, said: “It’s all very lively with lots of punches with pom poms, shimmies, knee lifts, shakes and a few whoop whoops here and there. Everybody loves it!

“The routine is great for co-ordination, memory, team spirit and great exercise but most of all it is lots of fun.”

Wells-based Tina visits care homes all over Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, Mendip, North Somerset, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane, West Somerset.

But it’s not just a bit of fun for residents – according to Tina, research by Stanford University has shown it to be more effective in warding off the effects of dementia than solving crossword puzzles or reading.

The exercise routines can preserve motor, intellectual and emotional functions and help protect people from being confronted with diminished capabilities and negative feelings.

Tina, who has showcased her routines on ITV West Country News, Come Dine With Me, Britain’s Got Talent and more recently BBC Inside Out West with Seb Choudhury, said: ” I absolutely love bringing a smile to everyone’s faces. I feel completely honoured to be part of all these wonderful peoples’ lives. I literally have the best job in the world!”

Avalon Nursing Home, run by West Country care provider Camelot Care, is home to up to 55 people with dementia in Bridgwater town centre.