There might be different exercises and new  techniques but it will have the same  result.

The Jasper Physiotherapy and Massage Clinic has been purchased by two local physiotherapists.

“It’s all about getting people out there and allowing people to do what they need to do,” said Todd Wolansky, who recently purchased Jasper Physiotherapy and Massage Clinic with friend Sean FitzGerald.

“For sure things are going to change. We’re different from Mandi and Cyril Hayes, but for the most part it’s a physiotherapy massage clinic. We might add some twists and kinks to it as months go on, but still, that’s the service we provide and that’s what we’re good at,” said FitzGerald.

Despite rumours the clinic was closing down, or being bought by a large chain, Wolansky and FitzGerald have come to the rescue, while living the dream they’ve always wanted – to open their own clinic.

For Mandi Hayes, who came to Jasper six years ago with her second baby on the way, the clinic has become like a third child,  so the decision to leave wasn’t easy.

“The town was so desperate for a physiotherapist,” said Hayes, explaining how she was hounded to work in town during her first year in Jasper.

A mother of two, when Hayes’ two physiotherapists left town it meant she would have to work full time again leaving her with less time for her children.

“It was just me again, and I was like ‘oh I’m going to have to work so much’” she explained.

Trying to decide what to do, Hayes said she contemplated opening a clinic at home for a couple years until there was more physiotherapists they could hire to work at the clinic.

“And then out of the blue my husband got a call from a company he’d been doing freelance with and they wanted to hire him... and it was not even in our brain waves that this could be a comprehension because we thought we’d be here forever,” she said.

With the opportunity of being a stay-at-home mother in Ontario, Hayes said that even though it was a hard decision, it was one she had to do for her family.

“This decision was made so that I could be at home for the kids,” she said. “It’s the right decision for my family, but leaving Jasper is probably one of the hardest things we’ll ever do. Jasper’s a town that’s like your whole family.”

With the official passing of the baton from the Hayes to the two Jasper physiotherapists this weekend (Aug 31), Jasper residents can be reassured that the much loved clinic will remain in place.

An important factor for Hayes, was that she could leave town knowing that Jasper would have a reputable physiotherapist clinic that wouldn’t pump through numerous people every hour.

“I absolutely know that I’m leaving Jasper in good hands,” she said adding that when she put the clinic up for sale she hoped FitzGerald and Wolansky would come forward.

“I did not sell it to the highest bidder. I sold it to the person I thought was more appropriate for Jasper and that was really important to me that I could find the right fit for Jasper.”

“They’re very outcome-focused, which is what I always said, I don’t believe in the take a long time to get better, you should notice a difference right away,” she added.

Excited about the opportunity that “came and slapped us in the face” the pair have an array of ideas that they hope to put into practice in the upcoming months and years, said FitzGerald.

“First we want to establish ourselves so that the community has trust in us,” said Wolansky, “but then I think, the thing Sean and I are really keen on saying is, ‘Well how far can we take this?’”

The move means that FitzGerald, whose been working as a physiotherapist at the Hinton General Hospital, will not only be able to ride to work each day, but also take charge of his daily work and try some new things.

“It’s nice to be coming from a public setting, where change seems to take a little bit longer to happen... to go to this where we’ve made decisions and the next day, we’re kind of moving towards it.”

While FitzGerald has been practising as a physiotherapist, Wolansky has been doing research and evaluation for the health region at Seton General Hospital in Jasper.

Armed with his research, Wolansky hopes to put some new exercise programs in place with aspirations to get everybody in the community moving in a sustainable manner.

“Most research looks at, you start an exercise program, you take some outcomes, you finish, they take some more outcomes and you see a big improvement. Then if you do a longer term follow up, six months or a year later, people stop exercising and then really what did you do in those six weeks? You increased someone’s fitness for six weeks, but there’s none of that sustainability,” he explained.

“The research I did in the last year was looking at what can we do from discharge on to keep people going so they stay active and continue to maintain those benefits of physical activity.”

An important aspect for them is to keep moving forward and beyond what Hayes had in place including getting the ‘forgotten’ segment of Jasper moving.

“They did a brilliant job of establishing physiotherapy,” said FitzGerald, “we’re excited to branch off from that a little bit and  explore whether or not it’s viable to run some programming that’s aimed at people like my dad and my mom. People that aren’t unfit, but to maintain their health.”

“There’s a lot of people that don’t really do those hardcore sports, they live in Jasper because they like the mountains and maybe go on the odd hike,” said FitzGerald. “We’re going to push beyond what Mandi has done,” he added.

“So, how can we provide a service or offer programming for that group of people so they’re not intimidated?” asked Wolansky. “One of the things we saw in Hinton... people would want to get more physically active and they’d go to a gym and it’s just so intimidating and they don’t feel like they belong there.”

With these challenges ahead of them, the pair admit they’re lucky to be taking off from where Hayes left them – with a fully staffed clinic, plenty of advice and help, and a very good reputation that they intend to maintain.