<\/p>\n
Darcy Licorish helped classmate Richard Norek back to his seat during an exercise period at the Brain Fitness Academy at Stetson University.\u00a0<\/p>\n
JOE BYRNES\/CENTRAL FLORIDA PUBLIC MEDIA<\/p>\n
The results of a clinical trial released this summer show that taking a structured group approach to lifestyle changes that target risk factors for Alzheimer\u2019s disease could significantly delay cognitive aging.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s compared to a self-guided model, which is also beneficial.<\/p>\n
The U.S. POINTER study funded by the Alzheimer\u2019s Association tested a structured program that included a brain-healthy diet, mental and physical exercise, regular health monitoring and social activities.<\/p>\n
Here in Central Florida, a similar structured approach at the\u00a0 Brain Fitness Academy at Stetson University in DeLand is already having a positive effect on people experiencing cognitive decline.<\/p>\n
\u2018A lot of laughing\u2019<\/p>\n
In a large second-floor room, the participants — generally seniors in their 70s and 80s — are bouncing 9-inch rubber balls. The ping of bouncing balls is interrupted every so often by bursts of laughter and wisecracks.<\/p>\n
Darcy Licorish helped classmate Richard Norek back to his seat during an exercise period at the Brain Fitness Academy at Stetson University.<\/p>\n
This exercise portion of their twice-weekly get-together is permeated by a jolly sense of community. It helps alleviate the painful isolation that can come with Alzheimer\u2019s and other dementias.<\/p>\n
They are supporting one another. Seventy-four-year-old Darcy Licorish leaves his place to help his 87-year-old classmate back into his chair after his ball escaped.<\/p>\n
And a radiant smile lights up the face of 83-year-old Martha Hewett when she talks about the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of laughing here, a great deal of laughing,\u201d she said, \u201cand I think that\u2019s partially because there\u2019s also no judgment here. So if somebody says something ridiculous, everybody just laughs.<\/p>\n
Hewett is a retired therapist in her second year with Stetson\u2019s BFA. When she first heard about it, she wanted to get involved.<\/p>\n
Academy participant Martha Hewett laughed as she worked on math problems with student intern Waniya Hussain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI naively thought that perhaps I could volunteer and be of some help,\u201d she said with laughter in her voice. \u201cAnd then when I came in and they put you through the battery of interviews, I go, \u2018Oh no, I\u2019m the target audience.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Hewett said it\u2019s well planned. It seems to be fun and games, she said, \u201cand then you realize that there\u2019s a real purpose for each thing we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simple arithmetic is part of brain exercises at the Brain Fitness Academy.<\/p>\n
The three-hour sessions include socialization, health education, brain teasers and some basic arithmetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do a lot of routine things, much of which can be taken home with us,\u201d Bob Sullivan said. The 78-year-old said he used to work in the aviation industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe brain is just like any other part of the body,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cThe more you exercise it, the better it works. And I find that to be especially true now with this affliction.\u201d<\/p>\n
For him, that includes doing crossword and sudoku puzzles on his computer at home.<\/p>\n
Implementing the study<\/p>\n
The\u00a0 Brain Fitness Academy\u00a0 started in 2007 in Winter Park. Besides Stetson, there are BFA programs at First United Methodist Church in Winter Park and\u00a0Holy Trinity Greek Or- thodox Church\u00a0of Greater Orlando in Maitland.<\/p>\n
Stetson coordinator Ariel Chivers says her location opened in 2021. There is a fee to participate in the 14-week courses — though Chivers said they are always looking for grants.<\/p>\n
Ariel Chivers leads the BFA program at Stetson University.<\/p>\n
And she would like to see programs like this one everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think it would be beneficial to expand,\u201d she said, \u201cand that is our goal in time … to expand the Brain Fitness Academy, at least across the state and across the country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They have semesters in the spring, summer and fall, and several student interns help the 15 seniors involved. Participants said they especially enjoy interacting with the students.<\/p>\n
Psychology major Mia Martinez of Lady Lake is one of those interns.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been told multiple times that they see us as like their young adult grandchildren,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Martinez said it\u2019s a strength-based program that focuses on what the participants can do, not what they can\u2019t, on participation, not completion.<\/p>\n
With a few tweaks, she believes the program could be ad- justed to be more \u201cprevention based,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cAnd to try and do more research with the history of participants at risk of Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a strategy the Alzheimer\u2019s Association is funding now: to translate the findings of the U.S. POINTER study into the real world practices of communities and organizations.<\/p>\n
They call it implementation science.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we learned in POINTER is it\u2019s the structure and the support that\u2019s needed for success,\u201d said Wake Forest University professor and the U.S. POINTER principal investigator Laura Baker as she presented the study earlier this summer.<\/p>\n
That approach could make a big difference for many seniors as they age.<\/p>\n
\u201cCompared to the self-guided group, participants in the structured group performed at a level comparable to adults one to two years younger,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like it slows the cognitive aging clock by one to two years. And that\u2019s the benefit of structured over and above the benefit of the self-guided.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Florida, the Alzheimer\u2019s Association is hoping to see those lifestyle interventions brought into the care plans for seniors in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The study could also bolster their push to get the Legislature to create a public awareness campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Darcy Licorish helped classmate Richard Norek back to his seat during an exercise period at the Brain Fitness…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[39290,64,63,105072,9757,137],"class_list":["post-157978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-alzheimer","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brain-training","tag-dementia","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}