GetTogether Adult Day Health Care

Mind Teasing Games

adhcadmin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:28:34 +0000

For the most part of my professional life I’ve been working with elderly people. More emphasis now is on preventive measures in order to postpone or even to prevent occurrence of some unpleasant companions of old age: joints pain, hypertension, heart deceases, diabetes, mental problems etc… Ability to take care of him/her self and live independently is crucial for overall well-being of our senior citizens. Just as regular physical exercises help keep our bodies fit, mind teasing games are good exercises for brain. Solving crosswords, rebuses, puzzles, Sudoku helps concentration, keeps mind sharp and focused. In our Center these activities are encouraged and supported. Groups of Participants work together, often with help of a staff member. People combine their knowledge and experiences and with mutual efforts solve the puzzles. They exercise their brains and enjoy communication with friends at the same time!

Galina Zhuleva
Physical Therapy Assistant

Chess Club

adhcadmin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:25:57 +0000

Chess is considered a healthy game specially recommended for older adults. Science recognizes chess game as a tool to improve one’s mental clarity and ability to focus. Just the desire to win a game makes a player use all mental strength, and that keeps his/her mind active and working. Patients suffering from mental fatigue, even Alzheimer’s are strongly advised by the doctors to play chess. Those who just start playing chess, report that their mental state is better than it’s been in years. No drugs, no therapy, just playing the game is enough.

That’s why in the Center Participants are encourage to play chess as well as other mind stimulating games. Chess Club is working every day, and many players are enjoying camaraderie and rivalry of the tournaments.

William Yason, Chess Club Leader, PT Assistant
Rating 1750

This is post 2 T

adhcadmin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:25:35 +0000

This is post 2 for

Articles and Advice

Live Long and Prosper – Play Pool

foley — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:24:31 +0000

As a Physical Therapist, I am always looking for novel creative ways to keep people moving. Recently, many therapists and activity centers have purchased video game systems such as Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox Kinect to design fitness and activity programs. These systems have successfully motivated individuals with cool graphics, energetic sounds and detailed record keeping. Notably, my experience with the age-old game of pool has produced similar results. Pool is a very familiar game that can be played by most people of any age, ability or disability. I have observed that playing pool for older adults is great therapy and has been incredibly successful at increasing their quality of life.

Benefits include:

increasing self-esteem

learning and motivation

having an activity in their lives to look forward to

improving well-being

improving quality of life

increasing fun

increasing joy

increasing time spent with friends and family

increasing sense of camaraderie

increasing heart rate

improving hand fine dexterity movements

improving shoulder flexion and extension movements

increasing hand eye coordination

increasing balance

increasing mental activity

Pool is a great activity for the Body and Mind. While playing pool both your mind and body are active. Your body is constantly walking, standing, sitting, bending, leaning over, positioning hands and arms, and performing strong and delicate movements with your upper extremities. Additionally, one of the basic fundamentals of playing pool is a person’s stance, which is also very important in preventing falls in the elderly. Moving your feet apart and creating a wide base of support provides a good foundation. While leaning forward to make a shot a person practices balancing on their feet and recruiting their core muscles. Typically, players also bend their knees and shift their weight to achieve the best angle for viewing the pool table. A person playing pool who is constantly practicing his balance to make a shot is less likely to sustain fall in the community or at home.

While a person’s physical body is practicing balance, their mind is also exercising. A pool player’s mind is dealing with distractions, analyzing situations, practicing mental focus and concentration, and dealing with all the emotions of competition – anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, pride, excitement, and joy.

As I said previously, I am always looking for novel creative ways to introduce physical therapy and keep people moving. In this case, I chose a fun familiar pastime from the past instead of the unfamiliar video games of the future. Playing pool has demonstrated to be very successful in keeping people fit and helpful in keeping people practicing the skills necessary to prevent falls. All that aside, playing pool is fun and a great activity for all ages. So Rack’em Up – for life.

Foley Weems PT, DPT
GetTogether Physical Therapist