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Gold Coast 73-year-old John McCartney is an Australian music enigma.
After picking up the guitar in his early teens, he spent decades toiling in rock bands across the country, more than paying his dues to his craft and the entertainment industry.
McCartney concedes band life probably wasn’t the healthiest of career choices and in more recent years, he says lifestyle and other factors outside of his control, have contributed to a multitude of debilitating health conditions.
“I developed advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a lung condition better known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
“The more you exert yourself, the more breathless you become, and I need a portable oxygen machine these days which makes performing an impossibility,” he said.
McCartney is far from alone as life does its best to slow him down.
About one-quarter of people aged over 70 are frail, which means they often feel tired, feel weak, have trouble walking 300 metres or up 10 stairs without help or have major illnesses, like cancer or heart disease or diabetes.
At one stage doctors thought he was suffering deadly mesothelioma because he once worked in an asbestos plant in Western Australia, but he concedes his COPD is just as likely the result of some untreated childhood asthma and heavy smoking along the way.
“I also have hearing loss from the band speakers, I’ve got osteoporosis and there’s a bit of kidney cancer and a few other things,” he says matter-of-factly.
And while a walking stick and his trusty oxygen concentrator are his constant companions, McCartney’s health fortunes recently changed after a chance discovery on social media brought better health into focus.
“I saw an online advertisement and some testimonials for the Bond University Allied Health (BUnyAH) frailty exercise programs, funded by the Gold Coast Primary Health Network (GCPHN).
“Before I knew it, I’d joined a 12 week falls prevention program which I found effective, and I really enjoyed it.
“One of the big things with ageing is that you need to get out of bed and have something to do, and this gave me that thing,” he said.
McCartney’s BUnyAH regime involved an hour in the gym and an hour of education twice a week.
“I’ve never been a sporty person, so the gym side of things was a little bit terrifying to begin with.
“But it was interesting because there were 12 exercise stations set up for 30 seconds each, which was intense, but surprisingly doable,
“And the BUnyAH people were very polite; they listened carefully and catered for each individual need,” he said.
The BUnyAH program, for people over 65 or 55 years if they are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, specialises in occupational therapy, exercise science, physiotherapy, and nutrition and dietetics.
It uniquely includes a free gym membership at the centrally located Avanti Health Centre in Southport.
According to Bond University Occupational Therapy program head Professor Susan Brandis, the BUnyAH program was developed with people like McCartney in mind.
“It’s essentially a 12-week evidence-based program that provides education, exercise and life skills to assist people like John re-discover their ‘get up and go’,” Professor Brandis said.
“It was fabulous seeing him improve and the changes he made to be in control of his health.
“Bond University Allied Health students, including occupational therapy, exercise sciences and physio, also benefit by having authentic ordinary people like John in the program.
“This is a win-win for the community and the next generation of health workers,” she said.
McCartney says his dramatic results are there for everyone to see.
“With my multiple morbidities, this time last year I could barely walk anywhere, but now I walk every day,” he says.
Gold Coast Primary Health Network currently funds three healthy ageing programs, including the BUnyAH Interprofessional Healthy Lifestyle Program. Visit the I Am Not Frail webpage to learn more about each program, which are available to eligible participants at no cost.
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