Shirley Kelley helps a gentleman do an exercise called Hook-ups®. Exercises in the Level A Class (for Less Mobile Adults) are done mostly seated. 

My mom benefits, and so do I!

Several years ago when I was managing editor of a New Age bookstore trade magazine, and was the Barnes & Noble online New Age Music Editor and Body/Mind/Spirit Video Editor, I interviewed authors and creators of New Age books, videos, and music. At the time, I was impressed with a process I saw in a video, used for school children, somewhat related to kinesiology.

Now I am now sole caregiver of my 87-year-old mother; I often research ways to improve her memory and functioning. After a disappointing official memory assessment at Kaiser, I was disappointed even more to find their so-called "Memory Clinic" was not for those with my mother's level of functioning, but more along the lines of "do crossword puzzles...use sticky notes...put your keys always in the same place."

I thought back to my New Age reviewing days. Wasn't there some cross-stepping exercise the kids did to balance the left/right sides of the brain? I didn't remember what it was called, but thought "that" might work for seniors with memory problems. Looking for something similar (for ANYthing that took senior memory seriously), through Senior New Ways I finally found a program that truly addressed memory improvement in the elderly.
 
This organization has many offerings including this class, Bags, Balls, and Brains. I was excited to discover that the two teachers, Linda and Shirley, include techniques from the system I'd learned about so many years ago, Brain Gym® or Educational Kinesiology.

I enrolled us in their weekly class a few years ago, and Mom's functioning and memory improved almost immediately. She quickly became adept at catching and throwing the bean bags and balls, and at home, her willingness to participate in daily activities increased. She started reading again, (magazines and books, too), and often asked if she could help wash the dishes or "do anything?"

One impressive improvement in Mom's personality is that her sense of humor has been ignited, especially during the amusing class sessions. We both loved going to the class and I wondered how much improvement was possible...

Then, one morning, Mom woke up with no memory. Blotto! Luckily, it was not from a stroke, but delerium fever from an infected cat scratch. She was in the hospital for five days, with IV antiobiotics and puzzled shrugs from the doctors. Throughout the ordeal of keeping Mom "with it," I found another use for the class techniques. The "cross-stepping" routine, called Cross Crawl® is a very handy benchmark. How long, if at all, would it take her to RE-learn as I demonstrated "touch your left knee with your right hand, and your right knee with your left hand"? 

Throughout this time period, from the hospitalization until her return home and recovery, Cross Crawl® was always a reliable marker and a "rope out." Gradually, and in leaps too, Mom regained her previous functioning, and we're back on track again, always improving.

Hope more of you seniors (or caregivers, come WITH your senior!) take advantage of this class. And this ridiculous looking pose...all the seniors have been able to get into this "energizer pretzel" (called Hook Ups®). It's really quite restful ... and energizing. And when I ask Mom what she thinks about the classes, she says, "It's the highlight of my week. It's really fun and something my daughter and I can do together." -- Carol

PS: Now a few years after Mom's dementia adventure, she remembers the Cross Crawl with no prompting, and has increased her willingness to participate in adventures and help with small household chores. Sometimes when no classes are scheduled, we've practiced weekly with another student to the point where we could skillfully bounce 6 balls (2 each) around the circle to each other. Our record thus far is 57 bounces! She reads voraciously...books, magazines, newspapers and trashy tabloids, too. She loves to drives the little electric cart in the supermarket.