MONTESSORI 101: ‘Exergaming’ may be a thing for seniors with dementia

MONTESSORI 101: ‘Exergaming’ may be a thing for seniors with dementia

Every day, more and more senior citizens are diagnosed with dementia in the United States.

As families and caregivers continue finding ways to address dementia and the impact it creates on communities, experts are also becoming creative to help seniors cope with their situation. This includes disciplines and approaches such as the Montessori method of dementia care.

Watch the video below to find out more:

We’ve discussed this particular approach in some of our previous blogs. From sorting clothes, gardening, cooking, playing music instruments, to simple woodworking, seniors with dementia are finding more Montessori activities they can spend their time with. This variety of activities helps them harness their physical and cognitive functions in an effort to keep dementia’s progress at a manageable rate.

These days, we are now introduced to something called “exergaming (exercise + gaming).”

This approach to dementia care was the brainchild of Belgium researchers as far back as 2015.[1] The scientists who spearheaded this study (which was also published in the journal “Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy”) found out that seniors with dementia who engaged in regular activities that focused on physical and cognitive exercises developed better skills and executive functions than those who did not.

At the end of the experiment, researchers found that seniors with dementia who took part in the study demonstrated better mobility, balance, and decreased depression symptoms. These initial results indicate that “exergaming” may be a very encouraging alternative that can help delay or weaken symptoms related to dementia.

At the end of the experiment, researchers found that seniors with dementia who took part in the study demonstrated better mobility, balance, and decreased depression symptoms. These initial results indicate that “exergaming” may be a very encouraging alternative that can help delay or weaken symptoms related to dementia.

[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/pilot-study-finds-exergaming-may-improve-dementia-symptoms#Building-on-a-previous-study