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Mind-body connection explored at Burnbrae
Brain Gym is having positive effect on residents
with dementia, says Anderson
Monday November 17, 2003 Sheri Fiegehen
A few weeks ago, Henry*, a resident at Burnbrae Gardens, was in very poor
health. Staff members were concerned with whether he would pull through
at all, says April Anderson, Life Enrichment Co-ordinator.
But now, after a combination of new medication and twice-weekly
Brain Gym sessions, Henry has shown a marked improvement. “He’s
now sitting up in his geri chair, he’s alert, he’s talking.
It’s unbelievable,” says April. “We can’t say
for sure that it was only Brain Gym (that has caused the improvement),
but it seems to be a big part of it.”
Brain Gym is a program that includes 26 targeted physical activities
to enhance learning. It is used to bring about rapid and often dramatic
improvements in concentration, memory, reading, organizational skills,
language and number skills, speaking and more.
Besides April, two Burnbrae staff members recently completed
introductory courses to the Brain Gym concept: nurses and supportive measures
specialists Karen Coulter and Laurie Anderson, as well as student personal
support worker Esther Keir.
Over the past few weeks, the four women have been putting theory
into practice, mostly focusing on 10 specific residents who have dementia.
Working with residents on a one-to-one basis, a series of about
10 simple exercises are performed during a 10- to 15-minute period, twice
a week. Exercises include touching their toes, rubbing their ankles, drawing
and doodling, deep breathing, and touching their elbows to their knees.
“These kinds of exercises are supposed to trigger the
brain,” explains April.
“Then we chart it; we document (criteria) such as the
time of day, the type of atmosphere, if they did it on their own or with
help and so on, to see if they have any effect,” says April.
Some general trends have emerged, says April. For example,
morning-time Brain Gym is not as effective on residents – the time
period between 2 and 6 p.m. shows more improvements, she says. And, not
surprisingly, the exercises seem to have a more positive effect when performed
in a quiet environment, she adds.
“We’re also finding that increasingly, the residents
are able to do the exercises without our assistance,” she says.
“Generally, we’re finding residents are more energized”
both physically and mentally.
April and her colleagues are considering taking the next level
of Brain Gym courses, which provide a more intensive training.
In the meantime, they are learning more through their hands-on
experiences, as well as through the Brain Gym manuals, says April.
“If any other staff at other OMNI homes want to learn
about Brain Gym, we’ve got all kinds of great information we can
share with them. The books are quite comprehensive, with lots of explanation
and pictures.”
Interested staff can call April at (705) 653-4100.
* Henry is not his real name.
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