These are real stories from TandemSB clients. Each person came to us with their own challenges, goals, and starting point. Their stories are different, but they share something important: they kept working on their strength and discovered they could do more than they thought possible.
Lilla, 87
An active senior athlete, Lilla fractured her hip at 80, threatening the activities she loved, including alpine ski racing.
Tandem rebuilt her everyday strength and function before working toward the demands of ski racing.
Lilla returned to competitive skiing, and nearly nine years later, she's still training.
John
After brain tumor surgery left John with profound weakness, his family was told he would likely need permanent nursing home care.
Tandem began with what John could do and built his strength gradually over time.
John eventually returned home, walked with a cane, played his trumpet in church, and walked his daughter down the aisle.
Greta, 82
Greta wanted to remain at home, but declining strength and increasing fear of falling were making everyday life harder.
Tandem used consistent, progressive strength training to build her strength and balance.
Four years later, Greta remained in her own home, continued driving and stayed active socially.
Howard, 86
Parkinson's was making everyday activities increasingly difficult. Howard needed a walker, assistance from others, and was no longer able to climb stairs or get in and out of his car.
Howard began working with Tandem twice a week to build the strength needed for everyday movement.
Howard remained independent with his walking for nearly three and a half years and continued working with Tandem as his Parkinson's progressed.
Agnes
Following a stroke that affected one side of her body, Agnes could no longer walk and needed a mechanical lift to be moved.
Agnes began working with Tandem twice a week. Six months later, she no longer needed the mechanical lift and could take her first short walks with a walker.
Agnes eventually walked 300 feet with her walker, and continued to discover what was possible.
Marilyn
Marilyn was still cooking, driving and seeing friends, but she felt unsteady and had begun relying on her walker whenever she went out.
Marilyn began with exercises she could manage comfortably, then gradually progressed as her leg strength and confidence grew.
Two months in, Marilyn was stepping over obstacles, standing on unstable surfaces without support, and beginning to trust her legs again.
Lucy, 95
At 95, Lucy was living at home but had stopped living a full life. Her strength was declining, she relied on a rolling walker, and she had withdrawn from many of the social activities she once enjoyed.
Tandem built a strength program around what Lucy specifically needed to be able to do.
Lucy now moves around her home independently and walks outdoors for pleasure. As her strength came back, so did her optimism.
Arthur, 91
Arthur was 91 and living with his wife when a fall and broken arm left him unable to walk without a walker. Even after Medicare therapy ended, he still needed help with transfers and was unsteady on his feet.
After three months of Tandem's functional leg-strength work, the strength in his legs had been rebuilt.
Arthur became independent with his transfers and mobility and began walking safely without a walker. He started shopping with his wife again, and reached his goal of traveling to Arizona with his family.
Cathy
Cathy had recovered from an aneurysm, but years later declining strength left her wheelchair-bound and needing help with transfers.
Tandem rebuilt her leg strength and balance, starting again after a three-year gap in training and another decline.
Cathy regained enough strength for her husband to manage all her transfers. Over the next three years, she and her family had taken four cruises, including Italy and Greece.
It Became a Family Affair
Kristen watched her father, Frank, slowly lose strength and become more isolated as his dementia progressed. Her mother's cousin, Ann, was also struggling with falls and becoming increasingly isolated.
Tandem began working with Frank and Ann. Two years later, Helen would need Tandem, too.
Three family members. Three different starting points. One shared goal: staying as strong and independent as possible.
The stories you just read are different. Different ages. Different diagnoses. Different starting points. Different goals.
But they have something in common: strength changed what was possible.
A walker or wheelchair can provide important support, but using one does not mean someone has reached the end of what they can do. Leg strength can be improved at any age, even with a complicated diagnosis.
That's why Tandem focuses on progressive leg-strength training. We don't just work with the strength someone has today. We work to build more, so they can keep doing more of the things that matter to them.
Aging changes us. But it doesn't mean we stop working toward what's possible.
Besides helping my mom to maintain strength, Nicole has been instrumental in catching medical changes in both mom and dad. She made sure the medical staff had the right information and that we asked the right questions. We highly recommend TSB.
TSB is a service second to none and provides: outstanding quality and talented physical therapists, the highest level of interest and concern for the patient, encouragement to increase strength and mobility, ongoing patient communication and RESULTS.
Mom has received therapy 2-3x/week for 2 years. Her therapists know her and understand what motivates her. Little “wins” are celebrated and TSB even handled our FL trip details. So impressed with their professionalism and dedication.
Tandem works on the client's thinking. Many folks have self-talk that has them doubt their abilities. The therapist guides the client into more honest and realiztic self-talk that allows them to accomplish much more than they ever thought they could.
My mom has been helped in so many ways by her Tandem Strength & Balance physical therapist. She is truly so much more than just a physical therapist; she is a friend, a psychologist and empathetic listener. Life is so much better with TSB.
Tandem Strength & Balance is geared to continually encourage and challenge their client to reach new strength goals, keeping the individual's quality of life and mobility the best it can be, for as long as it can be.
Finishing Medicare therapy doesn't necessarily mean your parent is strong or independent. It may simply mean the covered therapy has ended.
Medicare therapy is designed around a specific episode of care. Once that covered therapy ends, families are often left wondering, “Now what?”
Therapy can end even when your parent is still weak or having difficulty with everyday activities. That doesn't mean there isn't more work to do.
That's where Tandem Strength & Balance® comes in. We continue working on the strength and balance needed for everyday life, without being limited by the Medicare therapy timeline.
Yes, and we would argue that it is one of the most important times to do it.
Leg strength affects mobility, function and the choices we have in everyday life. Getting up from a chair, walking to the bathroom, climbing stairs, getting in and out of a car, or simply deciding where you want to go all require a certain amount of leg strength.
As we get older, we lose strength more quickly. That's why strength becomes more important, not less important, with age.
Everyone can improve their strength, regardless of age or diagnosis. At Tandem, we meet each person where they are, work at their pace and progressively build the strength they need for the life they want to keep living.
During our free evaluation, we assess your parent's leg strength, identify limitations, explain how those limitations are affecting function, and outline what progress we would expect to see as their strength improves.
Rehabilitation is a layered process. Leg strength is a key foundation for function, so strength often needs to improve before noticeable changes in function begin to appear. We explain that process along the way so families know what to expect.
Tandem comes to you.
Your parent exercises in the place where they actually live, whether that's a house, apartment, assisted living community or nursing home.
Working in a familiar environment allows the physical therapist to work on the movements that matter in your parent's everyday life, while helping them feel comfortable and confident as they get stronger.
Yes. We hear this from families all the time.
Exercising with a physical therapist is different from exercising with a family member. A physical therapist knows when to encourage, when to challenge, and how to adjust the exercise when something isn't working.
It doesn't mean your mother doesn't listen to you or doesn't appreciate your encouragement. Sometimes having someone outside the family makes it easier to focus on the work.
A free in-home consultation with Nicole, Tandem's owner and a physical therapist. She'll see how your parent is doing, listen to what's become harder, and tell you honestly if Tandem can help.
No pressure. Just an honest conversation about what comes next.
Prefer to talk now? Call (952) 746-3222
Monday to Friday 7:30- 4pm
