Exercise Workshop, Skill-Based Art Approaches, and Awareness Studies for Elderly Individuals

Exercise Workshop, Skill-Based Art Approaches, and Awareness Studies for Elderly Individuals With Cognitive Impairment

Purpose: The aim of the project is to contribute to the physical, social, and psychological well-being of elderly individuals with cognitive impairment within a multidisciplinary approach framework, and to increase the level of knowledge and awareness about diseases and aging by organizing exercise, art, and education workshops under the guidance of expert health and art professionals.

Scope and Target Group: Cognitive impairment affects daily life activities by impacting cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, and concentration. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are common cognitive impairments in the elderly. Early prevention strategies and intervention measures during this period are crucial. It is known that non-pharmacological interventions, especially in the early stages of MCI, are a window of opportunity that is promising and cost-effective. The primary target audience of this project is elderly individuals diagnosed with MCI, Dementia, and AD. To maximize the impact, some of the planned training sessions included family members of patients.

Method and Expected Results: The project carried out in collaboration with Balıkesir University and Balıkesir Altıeylül Municipality. Various exercise and art workshops organized. Workshop activities conducted for eight weeks and included an Exercise Workshop (music-based exercises, exercise with active video games, clinical Pilates training, cognitive exercise therapy approach, Nordic walking, dance therapy), Skill-Oriented Art Workshop (systemic calligraphy therapy, soap-candle making workshop, culinary arts workshop), and Disease Awareness Studies (disease awareness information and education, the process from diagnosis to acceptance, experiences of patients and relatives, use of daily life technologies, home adjustments against falls, introduction of municipal services for the elderly).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being over 65 years of age
• Having one of the diagnoses of MCI, dementia, or Alzheimer's by a neurologist or geriatrician
• Having less than 27 points on the Mini Mental State Examination (Zhuang et al., 2021).
• Being between stages 2-5 on the Global Impairment Scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having a pulmonary, neurological, musculoskeletal, or rheumatological disease that may prevent exercise
• Having balance problems or lower extremity asymmetry at a level that may prevent exercise
• Individuals with unstable medical conditions (uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, deep vein thrombosis, etc.)
• Having vision or hearing problems at a level that will prevent participation in workshops