Active 98-Year-Old Wants to Exercise – Only Gets One Hour of Walking with Home Care

98-year-old Jan Pålsson enjoys staying active and has been active his entire life. Being blind makes it difficult for him to spend time outdoors and from the home care service, he has been granted only one hour-long walk per week. He would prefer significantly more hours of walking than that.

Jan has lived in his townhouse since it was built in 1967 and he wants to stay there for as long as possible. For that to work, he wants to exercise much more than just one hour a week to stay healthy.

– It’s cheaper for society and taxpayers as long as I can cling on here and get help from home care than to be placed in an elder care home. There, I would be like a package, not allowed outside for even a second, because there isn’t time for that. I don’t want to end up there, sitting and eventually lying down, he says to Västerbottens-Kuriren.

The 98-year-old also says he is very sad and disappointed with how the municipality is treating him.

Jan has glaucoma and changes on the macula. His vision has deteriorated significantly in the past two years, and he is completely blind in his left eye. At home, he can navigate with the help of ceiling lights, which he can still see with his right eye.

Jan has a long professional life behind him as a physical education teacher, and he has always exercised a lot and participated in various sports. Ten years ago, his wife died and nowadays he has home care, which costs 2,660 kronor a month.

Expensive Walks

Outdoor exercise is now limited by his poor vision and he needs someone’s help. The fee includes two walks a week of 30 minutes each, which he has combined into one hour-long walk to “increase efficiency.” But he would prefer to go out much more than that.

The solution has been to buy two extra walks a week from the home care company Aleva, which costs an additional 2,300 kronor a month.

The municipality has said no to increasing his walks to three hours a week for the fee he already pays. He has appealed the decision to the administrative court.

– I am a happy and positive person, and I do everything to hold on here, but when I feel that Big Brother runs over people, I have to say what I think. I could be wrong, and others might not agree, but I have to voice my opinion. If we don’t speak up, society grows silent and then we get no development in elder care, for example.

Jan emphasizes that it’s important for his well-being to keep his fitness level alive.

Needs Considered Met

At Umeå municipality, Charlotta Lundström Barsk, head of nursing and care homes, explains that the assessment for home care under the Social Services Act aims to determine what the person needs help with, what needs exist, and how these can be met. The individual assessment looks at the circumstances for the person applying and how they manage what they are applying for.

– According to the Social Services Act, the aim is to ensure reasonable living standards for a need to be considered met.

The assessment, therefore, is that Jan’s needs are already being met with existing measures.