Swimming for Life: A Parkinson's Story

The impacts children take away from their time in swim lessons are limitless. Some will go on to conquer a lifetime of water adventures, living out their dreams of sailing the ocean, scuba diving or attaining Olympic glory. Others may use their confidence found in swim lessons to support their well-being later in life. Swimming truly has a ripple effect—no pun intended. 

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, and while that may not impact the majority of our Aqua-Tots clientele, it does affect many of those in our respective families and communities—those whom we love and respect. 

One such Aqua-Tots family member is our friend Ron. At the age of 89, he has come to enjoy our year-round, 90 degree pool for more than developing breath control and learning swimming strokes, but as a form of physical therapy for Parkinson’s. 

When his physical therapy became a struggle, Ron and his wife, Candy, decided it was time for a change and discovered the pool at their neighborhood Aqua-Tots Swim Schools. Ron believes that he’s making better progress in the pool because of the constant motion, and Candy said, “I’ve noticed that when he walks in, he’s walking slower, and when we leave, his gate is much faster and he’s more sure of himself.” Ron added, “I feel more invigorated and more agile than I was before I went into the pool.” 

Watch here as we celebrate Ron and Candy’s swim journey at Aqua-Tots.

Connecting With Our Communities Through the Love of Water

With 120+ locations worldwide, each Aqua-Tots Swim Schools location offers a myriad of services to support the communities in which they live and serve. Many of our franchise locations offer more than swim lessons for tots. Swim Club, Swim Team, adult swim lessons and sometimes—like in Ron’s story—a personally tailored and unique experience.

Each of our franchises are family owned and operated businesses, and to say they care about their communities is an understatement. After all, our mission goes far beyond swim lessons. At our core, we believe in people and cultivating relationships. We believe in lifting people up and propelling them forward. Our mission to serve takes up residence in our desire to see all people—regardless of age—remain healthy and safe in the water, and that includes those who may already know how to swim but now use their love of the water to improve their quality of life. 

To find out more or to learn what your neighborhood Aqua-Tots Swim Schools offers, give them a call today.