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05/10/2022 12:00 AMThe Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center is a medical adult daycare facility that has been serving the town of Branford and all of its surrounding towns for over 40 years. It is a non-profit organization that has an intimate and personal setting, where every member and employee are more like family. It has been an integral part in the community holding many fundraisers and many events, making it a longstanding partner in the Branford Community.
Today at The Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center one can find updated technology such as tablets, televisions and even video games used in the everyday programming. Dementia has become very common across the US, with almost 3 million new cases per year. The Orchard House has a detailed program that is created to help stimulate specific parts of the brain, the program gets updated and adapted as new activities, equipment, studies, opportunities, and information come to light.
Recent studies have shown that word games and other puzzles can help improve memory, focus, vocabulary, recognizing patters and overall mental acuity – all key cognitive functions. Puzzles activate both the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
"Imagination is activated alongside reasoning or reckoning," says Marcel Danesi, professor of semiotics and anthropology at Victoria College, University of Toronto, and author of The Total Brain Workout: 450 Puzzles to Sharpen Your Mind, Improve Your Memory, and Keep Your Brain Fit. "Memory also comes into play, especially in word-based and math-based puzzles. This entails a 'whole-brain' activation."
You can find more on this at What Happens to Your Brain When You Do a Puzzle | Reader's Digest (rd.com)
Positive Impact
Not only can certain games and activities increase cognitive function and interaction between the two hemispheres of the brain, but it also helps increase control over dexterity as well. The Orchard House isn't the only place utilizing current technology to their advantage. It's becoming a common theme amongst elderly care; a TV can be used for much more than just a movie. Music is proven to be one of the last things stripped from our memories as our aging progresses. Just using pieces of music from our past is enough to transport anyone mentally to another time and place.
"I've seen people that usually sit in a chair, unable to move and talk, physically jump up and down at the start of a tune!" states Natalia Imperato, Recreation Supervisor at The Orchard House Medical Adult Day Center. "So that person who usually sits in the corner and doesn't say a word because they may be losing the ability to properly articulate and communicate now jumps up hoopin' and hollerin', suddenly able to recall every word to the song and dancing around the room like she's 20 years old again."
And that's not even touching the tip of the iceberg of what technology is doing today to help fight off such diseases like dementia.
Some scientists believe that more studies need to be done, but they can see nearly a 29 percent increase in cognitive function of seniors using the right games and tools. Artis Senior Living LLC of Branford made a wonderful donation to The Orchard House of a 70-inch smart TV. Artis, too, knows the capabilities of what the New Age is currently bringing in with it and the benefits their members stem from immersing themselves into it. The TV they donated will allow for twice as much stimulation throughout the building. It increases the number of members that can participate in the programs as well as allowing for multiple programs to run simultaneously.
With the use of additional equipment, programs can be crafted to specific levels of stimulation and help with certain areas of function, for multiple groups simultaneously since not everyone can participate at the same level. Much like schools, each individual learns differently, progresses and digresses differently, so designing programs that can help to meet their individual needs is going to make the most difference in their health and wellness.
For more information, current updates or to make a donation to The Orchard house Medical Adult Day Center please visit www.theorchardhouse.org and for more information on Artis Senior Living LLC please visit www.artisseniorliving.com