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A general mindset of many people about their memory health is that the brain is a muscle, and we need to use it or lose it.
Take a look at your rope restraint and change your mindset. Be empowered to see that you can help yourself and others combat memory loss and cognitive deterioration, and the earlier you start the better.
Cool. Great. Bam.
Bi-pe-dee-bo-pe-de-boo.
Did it work? Has your mindset and lifestyle changed already? Hardly, I’m sure.
It’s a phrase used to describe short cognitive exercises that temporarily stimulate the brain like computerized problem-solving games or printed Sudoku, cards, or crossword puzzles. Despite what you have heard, repeating the same brain games has not been proven to effectively maintain your memory health nor prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia. And ironically, if you do the same activity repeatedly, your brain actually becomes less stimulated by the activity.
There are so many other types of brain exercise activities and programs on the market including sensory stimulation activities and physical exercise. Sensory activities are designed to activate your sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell abilities through activities like gardening and listening to music. These activities are claimed to exercise the brain because when our senses are activated, signals are sent to multiple areas of our brain simultaneously, and activating one sense will frequently activate more than one area of the brain at the same time. Physical exercise activities, like walking and low-impact weightlifting (at least 150 minutes a week) can increase oxygen and blood flow to the brain, including the hippocampus which is responsible for memory.
These types of exercises are more complex than brain games and because of this, they are frequently called brain fitness exercises. The effectiveness of brain fitness is higher than brain games, but still, not the most optimistic solution because if you only do brain fitness then you are only doing 20% (1/5th) of what research shows to be the best ways for people to elevate their memory health.
The total solution is what we at Resilia call, “super-five” cognitive training programs. Super-fives are a continuous “take-action” approach to helping yourself or another person prevent deterioration and improve cognitive abilities. They include five elements that all contribute to routing and forming synaptic connections (brain plasticity) and expanding the brain´s resilience (cognitive reserve).
When these five elements are done simultaneously, continuously, and are intentional to each person’s interests, then cognitive health results are more effective and longer lasting.
Resilia isn’t the only company that offers comprehensive cognitive training programs, but we are the only one that uses visual Art Therapy as the primary method. Our visual Art Therapy isn’t coloring books, birdhouses, or refrigerator paintings. Instead, Resilia uses our person-centered, tried-and-loved, art-making and art-looking methods as the go-carts (the fun!) for cognitive skill development, conceptual thinking, expression, exercise, and socializing. People don’t have to be artists to participate, in fact, it could be argued that it’s better if you aren’t. Simply, the Arts are the most effective way Resilia has found to execute all five elements while also engaging people, honoring dignity, and encouraging independence and healthy living.
Let´s get more specific about how each Resilia program combats memory loss and elevates memory health.
CogniPro is a repeatable 12-week course that educates cognitive health facts and elevation strategies that can be immediately implemented and habitualized. Resilia trains coordinators of communities and organizations how to teach and lead CogniPro within an existing health program or life enrichment structure. Cognitive abilities and psychosocial attributes are assessed, and the combat effectiveness measured. The lesson plans are fun to teach, and easy to engage through each week´s arts experience. Arts experiences are tailored to the interests and goals of the people who participate. The knowledge gained, artwork produced, and emotions shared contribute to improved memory health, and well-being. Staff, families, and older adults participate in recorded interviews to measure the quality of the program, and all program elements are directly correlated to generating additional business value.
The goal of CogniPro isn´t to complete and pass a training, it’s to build a skill set of how to teach and continuously improve the assessment and delivery of effective cognitive training programs within your organization or at home. Coordinators are trained and practice facilitating the course multiple times before Resilia examines and approves a group´s delivery of CogniPro as an effective, supe-five cognitive training program. Coordinators learn it when they can teach it.
More Than Memory is the whole enchilada, or, if you prefer kittens over Mexican food, the whole kitten caboodle, of Resilia’s memory loss combatting, super-fived cognitive training techniques, and art therapy methods. Is a complete cognitive health program that can be added as an extension to an existing health program or used as the core health & life enrichment program of any organization including local senior communities, adult day health centers, residential livings, and home care operations. We provide as much or as little as you need, and we stay for as long as it takes to ensure super-five quality.
Resilia has a goal to creatively tell 1000 legacies. Overlapping cultures, increased living distances, and changes in our lifestyles impact the way we tell and pass down our family stories, teachings, and relics. As we age, the importance of capturing and sharing these informative and valuable elements increases. A diagnosis of Alzheimer´s or another type of dementia often makes capturing the story time-sensitive.
Legacy Chronicles is a program for families that guides individuals through an 8-chronicle arts experience that generates content for the creation of a printed book and digital video that shares the legacy of a person. The intention of the legacy -telling is to pass down the experiences and lessons of a person’s life with their descending family members and anyone else who can benefit from the wisdom of elders.
Photographs, written elements, and video files are collected and uploaded to each Family´s own online profile. Families then work directly with a creative professional of Resilia to design and deliver a digital file with professional video and a printed gallery book that is comprised of a compilation of the person´s artwork, recorded interviews, music, photos, and audio scripts.
Just like all Resilia programs, the super-five cognitive training elements are integrated in all 8-chronicles so individuals can combat memory loss and elevate their memory health while engaged in this fun and meaningful program.
Use the products of Legacy Chronicles to remember and savor your life at any anniversary or any day that you need it. Have it available in the future when the kids are asking about their family history or simply want to hear your voice. Instruct others that the video and gallery book can be included or can even replace the bulletin boards of pictures at your wake or funeral ceremony.
Be empowered to see that you can help yourself and others combat memory loss and cognitive deterioration, and the earlier you start, the better.
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