“Ted is brighter and more alert, more interested in what’s going on around him, is socializing better with others and laughs more.”
Ted, who has Alzheimer’s, and his wife Di have been attending Love to Move sessions in Brampton since May 2019.
Love to Move deliverer Jane said “Ted always arrives with a smile and greets us all politely. Ted was able to pick up Love to Move quickly, he enjoyed the challenge of the more difficult sections like the Bilateral Asymmetrical patterns and fine motor skills.”
Bilaterally asymmetrical movement patterns are a big part of Love to Move sessions and are understood to benefit older people and those with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. They enable the left side and right side of the brain to process information independently; thus improving cognitive function, coordination and the ability to carry out activities of daily living more independently.
“Ted soon became confident enough to shout out topic words for the Alphabet and sing along to some of the music. Ted always appears to be in a happy mood, laughs and smiles and likes to make jokes.”
Support for carers
Taking part in Love to Move has also been an opportunity for Di to have a much-needed break. She can chat to the volunteers or deliverers and sit and enjoy a coffee. This was so important for Di as she often found it stressful getting Ted ready in the mornings, on top of the stresses of arranging their house move to be nearer to Ted’s dementia friendly activities.
Di notices a big change in Ted when he is enjoying his Love to Move class “at home Ted can be quite unmotivated, spends a lot of time sitting in his chair and is not very communicative. (At Love to Move) Ted is brighter and more alert, more interested in what’s going on around him, is socializing better with others and laughs more.”
The pandemic was such a difficult time for all the group members and resulted in many becoming isolated, with groups closed for months on end. Some people were able to take part in online zoom sessions, but it was not possible for everyone. When face to face sessions reopened in September 21, there was a concern that there may have been significant deterioration in some of the group attendees.
Thankfully, it was clear that this was not the case for Ted as he happily re-joined the group, engaging well in the exercises again. Jane told us “In fact, Ted has become so confident with the programme that he often goes at a faster pace than the deliverer! His movements are bigger and sometimes he moves on to the next action before anyone else as he remembers it all. Some of his movements and facial expressions have become really animated which is lovely to watch.”
Ted says he enjoys the social aspect of the group and has made some lovely friends. Di feels grateful that Ted has interests outside the house and appreciates the time to have a break.
A donation to our Foundation means that we can support more people like Ted and Di to access Love to Move and the many benefits it provides.
You can find out more about our Love to Move sessions and how you can access them by clicking here to visit our Love to Move page here