Brain Health Care & Fitness

Helping Seniors with Dementia Stay Independent

There’s no two ways around it: learning that a senior loved one has a form of dementia – such as Alzheimer’s disease – is earth-shattering. When you’re in the beginning stages of planning out your loved one’s dementia care, you may be concerned that the only option is for them to move into an assisted living facility or nursing home. The truth is that top quality dementia and Alzheimer’s care can be provided right in the comfort of home!

CareBuilders at Home of Pittsburgh’s brain health and fitness program has been designed to keep the Greater Pittsburgh Area seniors who have been diagnosed with memory-related illnesses active and independent at home. We offer dementia and Alzheimer’s home care services that improve quality of life through consistent physical and mental activity. Based on recommendations from the National Council on Aging, we find that memory care clients benefit the most when they participate in our brain health and fitness program for one hour per day, three times a week, over a 25-week period.

How Brain Health and Fitness Works

While there are multiple elements to CareBuilders’ brain health and fitness program, our Greater Pittsburgh Area caregivers break them down into two main components: 

Physical activity

There’s no more essential part of our clients’ health and wellbeing than exercise. Our caregivers will lead seniors through gentle, age appropriate movement, such as:

  • Chair yoga

  • Resistance band workouts

  • Walking

Even gardening or simply going outside counts as physical activity. We’ll work with seniors to assess their physical ability, as well as what they enjoy in order to determine the right exercise plan for them.

Mental activity

Working out the brain is just as important as working out the body! Our memory care clients are guided through mentally stimulating activities, such as:

  • Games

  • Arts and crafts
  • Journaling

Studies show that these activities help to maintain cognitive abilities, keep senior minds sharp, and slow the onset of dementia. Even better, they’re a great way for seniors to connect and share with others, which helps mitigate the harmful effects of social isolation.

If you’d like to take an active role in your senior loved one’s memory care, just ask their caregiver! Our brain health and fitness activity guide includes resources for friends and family members, including ice breakers, conversation starters, and games that are geared toward physical and mental stimulation for those with memory-related illnesses.

Expert Memory Care in Pittsburgh

A dementia diagnosis can be scary, but with CareBuilders at Home’s brain health and fitness program, keeping active and independent is an achievable goal. Call your Pittsburgh CareBuilders team today to learn more about what we can do for your senior loved one. Proudly serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area, Westmoreland, Beaver, Washington, Greene, Fayette, Somerset, Indiana, Clarion, Armstrong, Lawrence, and Venango PA, and the surrounding areas.