Physio and social entrepreneur Johnny Loughrey explains how the private sector fails us, how their gym is unique, and why it should be replicated across Europe.
The No Barriers gym in Letterkenny is spoken of by local community workers as one of the best new social enterprises in the country. It is unique in how it promotes equality. It provides a life-changing service that didn’t exist before. The public can support the gym by becoming members and it has grown since 2016 to now employ 22 staff.
For now there is only one, but Johnny Loughrey, founder and CEO of No Barriers Foundation, has proven that a community-based provider can offer a service that for-profit medical companies have not even contemplated.
“We provide specialist neuro-rehab services, with specialist equipment and specialist staff within the community,” he explained. “We deliver our services in a non-medical setting – it’s a gym where people can come in and exercise along with everyone else.”
Johnny is a physio with a private practice and, a decade ago, in response to numerous enquiries from families of people needing rehabilitation that he knew they could not afford, he conceived of a new type of service.
He knew the HSE was not going to fund it, even though it would provide a service for people with spinal injuries, brain injuries, stroke, MS. In 2020, it cost around €120,000 to run the service.
“We have a real problem in Ireland because HSE funding isn’t there to develop these types of services. A lot of people have to travel abroad and, for what we are able to offer, they pay anything from €10,000 to €12,000 per week for rehabilitation in the UK or other countries.
“It was unaffordable – only people with lots of money could afford rehabilitation. So we created this social enterprise and we registered as a charity to deliver the services as cheaply as we possibly can. We can operate for about 10% of what it would cost if a private hospital tried do this from a commercial perspective,” he said.
However, no commercial operator is providing this service. It is unique in Ireland and in Europe.
“Had an amazing physio session today, lots of improvement. Not only have I smashed the 1,000 steps mark, today I felt confident enough to walk with the crutches, unreal feeling of more control. Each session in the Exoskeleton benefits me now and for the future to help prolong good health and quality of life.
⭐ Improving blood flow.
⭐ Maintaining bone density.
⭐ Keeping muscles and tendons stretched.
⭐ Mental and emotional benefits.
I am so thankful to everyone who supports me, wouldn’t be where I am now without you. Movement is medicine.”
“Our motto is inclusive health. We deliver specialist services and we want to create equality – to let people with different levels of mobility and circumstances to all exercise side-by-side. And as a social enterprise one of the ways we generate revenue is through our 150 gym members who use our facilities.
“The members without disabilities could be paying their gym membership to any commercial gym in town, but if they join us they also contribute back to society. Their monthly gym membership subsidises the specialist services.
“We try and create an inclusive environment. There are not too many mirrors here and we have some quiet areas if people want more privacy. It is as much if not more important that the gym classes build their confidence and self-esteem. Having the craic and a cup of coffee here after class is a big hit,” he said.
No Barriers employs physio-therapists and occupational therapists as gym instructors. It runs 60 exercise classes a week. The front room accommodates 40 to 50 people doing individual rehabilitation at the same time.
Johnny pointed to three exoskeletons, something most people have only seen in science documentaries.
“People who are paralysed from the chest down can walk and rehabilitate while they’re in the suit. They’re a game-changer, but we wouldn’t have been able to afford them without LEADER funding. Donegal Local Development Company help us not just in applying for grants but they also teach us how to grow and evolve. Through DLDC, LEADER funds helped us get the first suit. It cost €185k.
“They run on lithium batteries and are being used every day. We can control the suits, but also the suits are intuitive and can sense when a person is ready to walk. It calibrates 500 times a second and it quickly picks up information about an individual’s movement. We can see in real time how a person is trying to move. The technology is amazing. It gives them the additional support they need to walk,” he said.
“People travel here for our specialist services. We recently had a family coming from Mayo and we have a lot of people coming from border counties. The closest accessible exoskeleton suit, specialist services and robotic equipment would be in Dublin,” he said.
• Gym users in No Barriers Foundation gym in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Source – Facebook. Follow them at: https://www.facebook.com/thenobarriersfoundation/
“We cater for neurological services, intellectual disabilities and also mental health issues. The type of staff and equipment we have in this inclusive fitness setting – this is the only one really in Europe at the minute. There are lots of large private hospitals delivering services and then you have other organisations providing exercise. It’s the inclusiveness and merging of those two together that is unique.”
There could and should be many more gyms like this and Johnny believes their social enterprise is perfect for replication in other counties and, indeed, countries.
“I just went to an European conference and we’d love to look into meeting other organisations there and spreading knowledge about our model,” he said. For now however his main focus is on Donegal.
