Give your brain and body a boost in Toronto!

Give your brain and body a boost in Toronto!

 

Give your brain and body a boost!

MiM 

Minds in Motion® program launches in Toronto for Alzheimer Awareness Month

 

She is challenging herself physically, using those muscles she needs to get out of a chair, to go upstairs.”  This comment is a tribute to the power of Minds in Motion®, an Alzheimer Society program launching in Toronto, along with an additional 11 Ontario communities, in January 2015 for Alzheimer Awareness Month. Designed for people with early to mid-stage signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias and their care partners, Minds in Motion incorporates physical activity and mental stimulation as a way of helping people live well with the disease, while encouraging care partners to take care of themselves as well.

Less than half of Ontario’s older adults get the recommended 2 ½ hours of physical activity per week, despite growing evidence that mental and social stimulation develop connections between brain cells, which in turn maintains cognitive functions longer. Minds in Motion® has built its program incorporating 45 minutes of physical exercise and 45 minutes of mentally stimulating activities.

Minds in Motion® was first introduced in 2009 in British Columbia, in response to a need for community-based programming for people with early dementia and their care partners that did not make participants feel marginalized or embarrassed. In the spring of 2014, the program then launched in Ontario with start-up funds from the Ontario Brain Institute. Enthusiastic care partners say “He seems more cheerful now and I have more tenacity now to keep going on the journey..” People with dementia are just as keen with comments like, “If I could change one thing about the Minds in Motion it would be… to make it full time”

The social aspect of the program is a critical success factor. People with dementia often feel isolated because of the stigma associated with the disease. Minds in Motion® promotes an environment that helps participants establish friendships with others who are living similar experiences.

Minds in Motion® runs for 2 hours/week for 8 weeks. Registration is $40/couple (includes a healthy snack).

Interested individuals living in the GTA can select to register for one of the two locations below.

Option A
North York Seniors Centre
21 Hendon Avenue, Toronto
Start Date: January 20, 2015
Tuesdays 10am-12pm

Option B
Harbourfront Community Centre
627 Queen’s Quay, Toronto
Start Date: January 21, 2015
Wednesdays 4pm-6pm
For any questions, or to register, please contact Romina Oliverio at 416-640-6330 or roliverio@alzheimertoronto.org

For more information on Minds in Motion, visit www.mindsinmotion.ca

Note: Upon sign-up, participants will be asked a few questions and undergo a physical assessment to ensure the program is the right fit for them. The assessments will be done in early January (location and dates TBD)

Article by: Romina Oliverio

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