Kettering care home visited by TikTok star for ‘beautiful session’ of seated exercises for elderly residents

Yesterday’s (Thursday) hour-long session gave residents of the home the chance to take part in small, but significant exercises to help keep them active and independent.

One resident, Jill, said: “It’s good to see everybody enjoy themselves.”

And another, Barbara, said: “It was great, I feel warm and exhausted.”

Bailey Greetham began his TikTok journey a year ago, and since then has amassed a following of 66,000 TikTok followers and 1.4 million likes on the platform.

His session at St Ann’s was specifically tailored to helping use the muscular groups that elderly people may rely on, such as using resistance bands and hand grips to help build strength in the forearms, and body weight exercises to improve overall movement.

Bailey said: “They’re a beautiful group of residents who were so welcoming. There were so many incredible smiles, it was a beautiful session, I really enjoyed it.

“To use a very light word, it’s crucial. This stuff is critical, if you don’t move it, you lose it.

“These people we’re working with they built the houses we live in, they prepared the world we have, they set everything up for this world. We need to give back, they paved the way for us.

"Some of these people might have been avid cyclers or runners, even dog walkers, and they might have loved that, but as soon as they go into a home, whether it’s dementia, a fall or an injury, they can not only lose their ability to move, but they can lose their independence.

“Movement is about keeping independence, it’s about giving back to those who were there before us. It’s about mental and physical health, and not stripping everything away from somebody who has lived a great life.”

Carers were on hand to offer assistance, and encouragement, with each person taking part being asked to participate as much as they were able to.

Chairs were organised in a circle so that everyone felt involved with the session, and Bailey’s upbeat aura and reassuring tone made sure that people were always supported.

Staff at the home in The Crescent, Kettering, were pleased with the session, and even managed to get involved with some of the exercises.

Hollie Taylor, home manager at St Ann’s, said: “We thought this would be great for our residents.

“I love how he presents it to the elderly. It’s great to see the smiles on their faces, they seem to really enjoy it.”