Memories in dementia patients is key to their mental health and wellbeing
It’s a sea of smiling faces at The Courtyards on Eagleson during the Road Worlds for Seniors Championships. All the residents are geared up for their virtual bike race and are ready to get pedaling. But this race is about much more than accumulating mileage; as the laughter and singing in the room can attest.
Almost like having extra staff on-hand
The Courtyards is a Memory Care Facility, so all of their clients have a diagnosis of dementia. Because triggering memories in dementia patients is so key to their mental health and wellbeing, The Courtyards have installed Motiview virtual cycling software in their Activity Room to transport their residents back to roads of their past, or places they have once travelled.
Motiview, by Motitech, can be attached to special stationary exercise bikes an offers motivational videos that can provide a high level of recognition. Their ever-growing library of movies enables users to take cycling trips through familiar surroundings and childhood memories. This encourages those living with dementia to be more physically and cognitively active.
Bethany Laughton, Health and Wellness Director at The Courtyard, has noticed a real impact on her residents who participate.
“We do other exercise programs but we’ve never seen the residents as engaged as they are with the Motiview system. It’s so real for them and it’s incredible how long they can go peddling without even realizing it. Some of them have been cycling for 15 -20 minutes and when the when the video is over, they haven’t noticed that they’d been exercising for that long.”
Resident, Peter, is an electrical engineer by trade and worked for a long time at the Canadian national railroads. His daughter Sheila explains that after he retired he started cycling around the paths near his house. Unfortunately, after moving to his care facility, he wasn’t able to get on his bike for real any more. He’s had access to stationary bikes in the past, but the big difference with Motiview is that he can also experience the pleasure of the scenery rolling by. Peter agrees. He loves how interesting the videos are, and giggles that it’s fun to spot the places where he last fell off!
As the residents are riding as a group, the shared experience of visiting famous sites doesn’t go unnoticed. Each new Motiview video generates excited conversations and reminiscence. In fact, Bethany describes it “almost like having extra staff on-hand because it’s so motivating for the residents, they actively want to come and join in. Just watching the rides and the music that’s attached to the videos gets them so engaged, it’s really been fantastic.”