RETIREMENTLIVING
Weightlifting trailblazer swapped Olympic medals for “ most rewarding role yet ” at
BIRCHWOOD HEIGHTS CARE HOME
NIGHT CARER KAYODE ‘ COACH ’ BALOFIN AT BIRCHWOOD HEIGHTS CARE HOME ON HILDA MAY AVENUE IN SWANLEY HAS A FASCINATING TALE FOR THE RESIDENTS ON HIS WATCH . ORIGINALLY FROM NIGERIA , KAYODE IS SINGLE-HANDEDLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING AN ALL-FEMALE TEAM OF WEIGHTLIFTERS AND TRAINING THEM TO SUCH A HIGH STANDARD THEY SCORED A SILVER AT THE BARCELONA OLYMPICS IN 1992 .
Kayode , from Swanley , became a carer 20 years ago at 50 years old , proving it ’ s never too late to change your path and take on a fresh challenge . He now uses his incredible people skills to care for the elderly at the luxury care home . Kayode says : “ Training and caring are the same thing . You have to believe in someone ; you have to be able to bring out the best in them for them to realise their own potential and keep their mind and body strong through self-belief .
When I began weightlifting in Nigeria I had to improvise - I would lift men and pull cows with my teeth to make me strong . Where there ’ s a will there ’ s a way . I have always been driven by my passion to help those with a less privileged position in society . I have coached paraplegic athletes , able-bodied athletes , men and women - no matter what obstacles may be in your way , you can achieve your dreams .”
From winning a string of local ‘ Superman ’ weightlifting contests in Nigeria to leading the Nigerian women ' s weightlifting squad , Kayode , now 70 , is happiest motivating the residents with the same energy he used to pioneer women ’ s rights in his home country where women had never had the opportunity to train as weightlifters before .
Already an established weightlifting champion in his own right , Kayode saw the potential and demand for women to participate and started to train a small group of women taking the gold at the Commonwealth Games before a triumphant second outing at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 where his wife Ruth , now 70 , took home a silver medal , and cementing Nigeria ’ s newly found passion for female weightlifting .
After many years continuing to train athletes , Kayode and his wife settled in the UK and the accomplished coach knew exactly how to use the skills he had learnt to achieve his greatest accolade yet - bringing happiness and strength to the elderly at Birchwood Heights care home .
Birchwood Heights is a purpose-built care home offering residential , nursing , memory and respite care for up to 77 people , which welcomed its first residents in May of this year . Manager at Birchwood Heights , Harry Garston says : “ Having Kayode around is brilliant . His enthusiasm for learning and for teaching is infectious and he brings a real positivity into his everyday duties . We are really lucky to have not only such a great person on the team but also such a distinguished Olympic coach .
Although he ’ s at retirement age , his energy belies his years . At Birchwood Heights , it doesn ’ t matter if you ’ re 70 or 17 , if you have compassion and a love for caring for people , you can build a career here . We would welcome new staff into the home who are in their later years because they ’ ve often got such a wealth of knowledge and experience that makes them excellent carers .”
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