The COVID-19 outbreak has upended life as we know it. Still, for many seniors who rely on essential programming for their health and well-being, the show must go on! At the Adult Cognitive Wellness Centre, we are proud to be able to offer virtual programming for our participants who need cognitive stimulation even when they cannot attend our centre in person.
What is Our Virtual Cognitive Program?
We are proud to offer our clients a variety of brain stimulating games and programs to maintain their cognitive status, even at a distance. There are generally three types of activities our adults complete. One set of activities focuses on working memory, which is essential helping them to retain information in the short-term. These can be matching games, placement of items, etc. Another set of activities pertains to logical thinking, where rules need to be followed, and another set of games pertains to planning, which ensures that clients are attempting to do forward thinking, such as in pattern games.
We also aim to ensure that adults are staying engaged and healthy in other ways, such as through doing chair yoga or qigong, as well as mindfulness meditation. These postural and physical activities help keep oxygen flowing to the brain, keep the adults calmer so that stress does not clutter their minds, and keeps them able to focus better on any task presented to them.
What are the Program’s Benefits?
Simply stated, the benefits of any program for aging adults are to keep them healthy and thereby keep them independent. The end goal is to prolong their time living in their own family homes before having to move to an assisted living home, nursing home, or other institution. Although we love our seniors’ homes and greatly appreciate the housing and institutional services that are offered, older adults need to thrive in their own homes, be with family, be in familiar surroundings, and contribute to their community for as long as possible.
As we have recently seen, it is even more important now when being in a long-term care home can literally be deadly despite the best possible care. It is clear that the goal is important and, to meet the goal, it requires keeping our adults cognitively stimulated and sharp for as long as possible. We need to contribute to their ‘cognitive reserve’ to compensate for age-related decline and prevent deterioration.
Not only do we want to engage the seniors’ minds to keep them sharp intellectually, there are other benefits. For example, the fun that can be had participating in these programs, even if they are one-on-one virtually, serves to further heighten their cognitive abilities. At the very least, programs such as these also contribute to a positive sense of self-esteem and capability.
How Can You or Your Loved One be Involved?
We have a variety of activities depending on whether you or your loved one wants to participate in regular programming or in specialized cognitive stimulation sessions for those living with dementia. All you need to do in order to be involved is to give us a call or email to register.