Strategies to boost memory and cognition
Announcement posted by Reconnect PR 13 Sep 2016
Group Homes Australia shares strategies for improving cognition for those living with dementia
Tamar Krebs, CEO and Founder of Group Homes Australia, rolls out the following strategies in all of the Group Homes Australia homes:
Pets- residents are able to bring in their own pets. Some of the residents choose which pet they would like and purchase accessories for the pet that they have chosen. One house has a chicken coup and chickens. Residents care for the chickens and collect their eggs. They interact with the pet and this makes them feel needed. The interaction with their choice of pet assists them to achieve self-actualisation.
Exercise- Group Homes Australia takes residents on community and excursion based outings. The residents enjoy walking outdoors in the sunshine. By exerting energy, the residents are not sitting down all day and they sleep better at night. Sunlight also provides Vitamin D which fights depression. Fresh air and walking provides an oxygen boost to the brain. Residents walk on the beach and in national parks. They also walk in the roads of their familiar suburb.
Inter-generational interactions- Group Homes Australia has a Story Time program where toddlers from a local daycare centre visit and bond over books with the residents. This gives the residents a sense of purpose. Group Homes Australia also encourages grandkids to visit loved ones and to come to the homes to bake and read books. A local school in Sydney also visits one of the homes and plays musical instruments. One of the houses has a pool which was specifically placed there for grandkids to use. Grandparents can watch their grandchildren swim.
Healthy food- At Group Homes Australia, residents choose foods that they enjoy. All produce including fruit, veg, dairy, poultry and meat is ordered from local Australian farms. Group Homes Australia wants to support local communities and farmers.
Personalised routines- There are no institutional routines. Residents can wake up early and shower early or wake up late morning and shower when they prefer. Each person is encouraged to partake in their own routine and to eat healthy foods that they enjoy.
Personalised iPod lists- Group Homes Australia homemakers ask family members what types music residents used to listen to and enjoy. Music is then uploaded to an IPod for residents to enjoy. Music stimulates the memory.
Engaging in real life activities such as doing the laundry, cooking, baking, shopping etc. Residents use their long term memory to tap into activities that they used to enjoy and partake in. This also gives them a sense of purpose and credibility. They remember that they used to cook or bake for their children and that they used to run a home.
Doll Therapy/Baby Therapy- This is very specific and has to be appropriate and tailored to the specific resident. A real life looking doll that looks like a newborn and in some cases family or friends’ babies are brought in to calm the resident requiring the therapy. If a specific resident is feeling agitated by handing them a baby or doll, it soothes and calms them down. The shush and pat motion and sound regulates breathing and assists to calm the resident down.