New trainers ready for the challenge
Sabrina McTaggart (left) and Lisa Herjavec have completed the training to be able to offer the Minds in Motion® program within our community. Courtesy photo
WILLIAMSBURG – “Regular physical activity and mental stimulation are good for your health and your brain because they encourage the development of new cells and new connections,” says Shelley Vaillancourt, Executive Director of the Alzheimer Society of Cornwall and District. “When combined in a social environment, the program also helps foster a sense of independence for people with dementia and promotes the well-being of those who care for them.” With growing evidence linking a socially, physically and mentally active lifestyle in helping people to live well with dementia, the Alzheimer Society is delighted to offer five Minds in Motion® programs to local residents throughout the five counties. The first began in Cornwall in October and was so popular that there is a waiting list for the next session. Registration is now open for sessions in Dundas beginning in March.
Minds in Motion® combines exercise and intellectual stimulation. It includes up to 60 minutes of physical exercise led by a trained physical activity program leader, and up to 60 minutes of mentally stimulating activities facilitated by a Minds in Motion® coordinator. The program is an eight-week program, delivered weekly.
The activities are targeted for people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and their care partners. The $20 fee per participant covers registration costs for the duration of the course, which is eight consecutive weeks. Care partners are to register along with the person who is living with dementia.
“We heard from people living with dementia in the early stages, that they wanted to connect with other people who are living a similar journey and that they wanted to be active in exercise and in intellectual stimulation. Now, we have been granted the opportunity to offer Minds in Motion® to meet this request,” explained Vaillancourt.
More information is available at www.alzheimer.ca/en/on/We-can-help/Minds-In-Motion, or call the Alzheimer Society at 613 932-4914 to register for the March session in your area.
Minds in Motion® is a program of the Alzheimer Society and is supported with funding from the Centre for Aging & Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) through its Knowledge Mobilization Partnership Program.
The Alzheimer Society of Cornwall and District offers Help for Today through programs and services for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and Hope for Tomorrow…by funding research to find the cause and the cure. To learn more about the Alzheimer Society, visit www.alzheimer.ca/en/cornwall.
