Home Care Research Paper

A study conducted by Harvard Medical School regarding on how could exercise help your brain and what kind of exercise will help your brain to have a better result. In this article, we learn that exercises can help your brain and can also help your memory. The researchers examined different people to try to understand what exercises could help your brain using 30 minutes section. In this study, the researchers randomly evaluate people doing exercises like cardio and compared their memory and their productivity with those that didn’t any type of exercises.

Carers can help this process by offering activities that are enjoyable, safe and have minimal risks. This is important because it helps people enjoy the things that they are able to do, rather than offering them something they will struggle to do with the possibility of injuring themselves. They will also enjoy things that can keep their brains active, such as crosswords, paintings and colouring, keeping their hand eye coordination strong. All of these activities will give those

Participation in physical activity has been shown to have many health benefits for older adults; this study does not provide strong support that it protects against cognitive decline. Reports have been made that physical activity may help guard against stroke and coronary heart disease, both of which may be associated with the development of dementia. Some studies were either limited in their scope or had short follow-up times. In all they find that for older adults, physical activity alone may not protect against cognitive decline. (By Charnicia E. Huggins: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseforseniors.html)

One way that people who are working with the elderly community can interact with individuals with dementia is by playing games such as memory games that can help them keep their mind’s going. According to Karen Miller, publisher of Memory Jogging Puzzles, stated that “Studies have shown, that memory games help slow down memory loss and brain deterioration.” These games can range anywhere from being low-tech, or high-tech. Some games that the help stimulate the mind that individuals with dementia are cards games such as concentration. Concentration is a well-known card game that is often seen in quiz shows and in educational programs. In the basic form, cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. This game is used to exercise the brain and help recollect and concentrate individuals with dementia. Some other games that I personally play with my residents at work are bingo and ball toss.

Arranging for elderly care San Diego can ignite an extraordinary transformation in a senior's quality of life, health, attitude and personal satisfaction. A personal caregiver plays many roles, but none surpasses the mental boost that companionship delivers. An in-home companion allows seniors to continue living independently, which boosts self-confidence and helps them lead a more meaningful and active life. Daily visitors keep seniors sharp and focused on cleaning their homes, dressing for company, sharing meaningful conversations and doing things outside the home.

In the book Spark, written by Dr. John J. Ratey, he discusses how exercise can positively affect how your brain works. He provides studies and personal experiences to support the claims he makes. I always knew exercise would improve your life but never could have imagined how much it can affect your brain health as well. The chapter I thought spoke the most to me was chapter two, Learning: Grow Your Brain Cells.

Scientists found that individuals who kept their brains lively had decreased levels of this protein. Older people with the highest level of brain activity had protein levels equal to those of young people. Those with the lowest levels of brain activity had levels equivalent with Alzheimer’s patients. “Individuals with high cognitive engagement may prevent or slow the deposition of the protein fragments, which influences the progression of Alzheimer’s” (qtd. in Hope). Those who were cognitively active were two times less likely to develop this disease than those who got minimal mental stimulation. Mental stimulation includes games and puzzles such as sudoku which may improve the brain’s ability to remember and retrieve information. Researchers claim that keeping the brain active with reading, writing and crosswords could also help prevent this disease. All learning is based on what is already known, or an association to what is already known. When learning something new, synapses are made which are connections between nerve cells in the brain. Due to this, new synapses are not just being made, but the ones that are already there are being strengthened. Staying busy and socializing with friends and loved ones keep memory sharp by helping maintain the brain’s health and boosting its memory. Mental

Smith et al. (2013) took a less studied approach to improving cognitive decline by testing the effects of aerobic exercise on adults (60-88 years old) already suffering from cognitive impairment. After 12 weeks of moderate exercise there was an improvement of memory and neural efficiency across all subjects.

The human brain is constantly changing where many new neurons are formed while others neurons die and new synapses are created while other synapses are removed (Spalding et al., 2013). Some dendrites will withdraw while other dendrites continue branching (Killgore et al., 2013). The processes driving the reshaping of the brain are neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s lifelong ability to rewire neural connections to compensate for diseases and injuries or in response to changes in the environment, whereas neurogenesis is the ability to create new neurons and neural connections. This dynamic process of remodeling gray matter is determined mainly by a person’s genetics and can slow down due to age (Denes, 2016). However, recent scientific evidence demonstrates other non-genetic factors that can significantly improve the development of the brain and slow down neurodegeneration (Kays et al., 2012). Physical exercise has always been linked to a person’s physical health, but many recent scientific studies shows physical exercise can also keep a person’s brain sharp. Exercise affects the brain in numerous ways by creating a flourishing environment for brain growth, aiding the release of numerous hormones, and fighting against depression, stress, and anxiety.

Out of the rapidly inclining population in the world, there are people who develop dementia every 66 seconds(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Being such a common disease in the elderly, there are 47.5 million people in the world with this disease(“2016 Alzheimer’s Disease”). Once families start to realize that their parents and grandparents have developed this, they start to wonder if they are able to live on their own. Within a few months, a decision is made whether if it is best for them to be put into a nursing home. Most often, those with dementia do happen to end up in nursing homes. Many wonder if being put into a nursing home will actually cause their dementia and their ability to live on their own to worsen. With the effects of activities, this could change. Activities help slow the deterioration of the brain(Smith). The activities and exercises performed by nursing homes to help improve the overall cognitive development in dementia patients. Nursing homes should induct purposeful daily activities to improve cognitive, social, and psychological development in dementia care

The purpose of this activity is to provide seniors with mild dementia who live in a nursing home the opportunity to engage in a social activity that encourages self-expression to reduce boredom. The goals and measurable objectives for the intervention are:

Having a “Brain Healthy Lifestyle” (Bend, 2014) is made up of several different categories that include “physical health, brain fitness, and vitality” (Bend, 2014) as well as “balanced nutrition, stress management, and mental stimulation” (Sharpbrains, 2014). Our physical health plays a major part in brain function. Exercising our bodies, eating well, and getting the proper amount of sleep has a huge impact on our physical health. “Our brain requires 25% of the blood that is pumped by your heart. The healthier your heart is, the healthier your brain will be” (Bend, 2014). Cognitive fitness is demonstrated by uses of vocabulary, thinking, perception, and attention. It is crucial to make it a normal everyday practice to challenge our brains through new activities. Taking part in a cooking class or learning to

In recent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change and form new connections when brain damage occurs. However, the idea that humans can train their brains to be more efficient and stronger seemed like a far-fetched cry from reality up until the late 1990’s (Weicker, Villringer & Thöne-Otto, 2016). As time went on and more research was conducted in the field of brain training, it became clear that brain training is not an exact science but, it does have real cognitive benefits.

Studies demonstrate one of the ideal approaches to do this is with puzzles like Sudoku and kakuro. These puzzles include the rationale, memory, and focus. Senior living groups around the nation appreciate the mental test, focus and quieting impact these puzzles game give.

Brain can be easily changed. Neuroplasticity describes the proven characteristic of the brain’s moldable nature.8 As an individual learns, the formation of neurons and glial cells within the brain are stimulated.8,9 Therefore, the more an individual uses “brain games”, the more likely it is that these neurons and glial cells will form in underused areas.9 Studies show that the formation of these synapses is strengthened as an individual consistently practices a task.8 8That’s why we say “practice makes it perfect” and good example for it would be someone studying for his/her calculus test on the last day, would obviously not do as well as a person who has been doing all his/her homework from the very first day. This results in improvement in their daily task.