Volunteer turns to GoodLife Fitness to get back in action
Joseph O’Brien
Regaining Strength and Independence to Serve Again
An avid volunteer who relishes assisting Connecticut veterans is striving toward getting stronger and steadier so he can return to active duty at the Veterans Administration healthcare facility in Newington. Before his first debilitating fall while shoveling snow in January 2017, Joseph O’Brien was volunteering four days each week, escorting veterans to and from their appointments and assisting them wherever needed.
Photo by Rusty Kimball
Maquita Parker, exercise professional, works with Joseph O’Brien at the GoodLife Fitness
Center at Jerome Home.
“I am not a veteran myself but I really enjoyed interacting with them and helping them out,” said O’Brien, a retired postal clerk and motor vehicle inspector.
Even a year after his terrible accident, the incident is vivid in his mind. A series of falls over the course of two days resulted in serious injuries to both his legs. Following surgery at Hartford Hospital, O’Brien recuperated for five months at Jerome Home, located at 975 Corbin Ave. An integral component of his treatment plan was inpatient therapy. “They took very good care of me,” O’Brien recalled. He also became something of a celebrity with nearly everyone greeting him by name even now.
Upon his discharge, the New Britain resident continued his outpatient rehabilitation at Jerome Home’s GoodLife Fitness center, which is designed for older adults. Under the direction of an exercise physiologist, O’Brien has been working on building his core strength, balance and stamina through twice-weekly exercise sessions. “He is doing a great job and continuing to improve,” said Maquita Parker, BS, the exercise professional who works one-on-one with O’Brien.
“I was very active before. I liked going to festivals and fairs, and walking the Farmington River Trail – I’d like to do the whole trail in segments,” the 68-year-old said.
“I want to get back to normal and return to the veterans’ hospital,” he said. Parker has no doubt that with his determination and continued improvement, O’Brien will accomplish these goals.