The Lantern group of assisted living communities is reinvigorating its drive to enhance cognitive skills among its seniors through new engaging therapy sessions. This is still in accordance with the company’s main goal of preventing Alzheimer’s and rendering the best kind of assisted living services to its seniors.
“We thought that we needed to emphasize the fun factor of these therapy sessions,” says CEO, Jean Makesh. “We want our seniors to think that it’s more about having fun and getting the most out of life rather than doing something ‘therapeutic’. We don’t want them to feel like they’re being treated as patients. It’s safe to say that this approach is one of the keys to our success.”
True enough, on a yearly basis, its three main communities in Chagrin Valley, Madison, and Saybrook almost always have something fresh and better to offer to our seniors with regards to therapy sessions they can participate in. This doesn’t even include the brand’s efforts to boost balance skills , too, which lessen the risk of falls.
“At the heart of these therapeutic sessions is the aim to disrupt dementia among our seniors,” Jean adds. “This is why you can expect them to venture beyond activities such as word games and puzzles; although, I’m not doubting their efficacy. We’re actually more than willing to encourage them among our seniors, especially if they show an innate interest in them.
“Cognitive skills also encompass physical and social aspects of one’s being. This is exactly why we encourage activities that enhance all three as much as possible. And what’s equally wonderful is that these activities don’t even have to be that complex.
“For example, at Lantern of Madison, our caretakers encourage seniors to take part in animal therapy. Basically, it involves our seniors spending time walking and interacting with their pets. This activity alone already checks all the boxes. Walking takes care of the aerobic or physical aspect while navigating through our community and spending time with pets enhances the mental and social parts.
“There’s one element when it comes to these activities that we shouldn’t overlook, though. An individual should enjoy doing it and want to do it. Otherwise, they’re not likely to commit to it for the long-term, which is crucial for beating conditions like dementia.”
Of course, animal therapy is just one of the ways that the Lantern brand is offering better sessions to seniors. When it comes to the arts, the sky is practically the limit when it comes to the activities related to cognitive development you can do. Creative cognition is an independent field of mental development, after all.
“Once a special holiday rolls in, we always introduce activities that fit its theme while keeping it entertaining and as beneficial to our seniors as possible.
They take part in wreath ornament creation and other forms of creative art projects. The fact that these sessions require the frequent use of one’s hands already lends itself to boosting cognition among seniors.
Last Halloween, the seniors took part in decorating pumpkins with stickers of their choice. To fit with the fall theme, they actively participated in a scavenger hunt for fall leaves throughout the community. This allowed them to stimulate their problem-solving skills further.
They also played a game called Thankful Volleyball where they write down something they’re thankful for when the ball lands on them.
In August last year, the seniors had a lot of fun playing a variation of the Price is Right. We also have a game called M&M rainbow that involves separating and arranging candies by their color.
As you can see, these activities also enhance cognitive skills holistically because they’re both social, physical, and mental at the same time.
“And, again, they’re not even hard to do but still quite engaging, especially if the seniors are genuinely invested in them. We try to focus on maintaining that in every new activity we plan. If there’s no enthusiasm, we can always stick to the ones that work or introduce a twist or two that will make it better,” Jean finishes.
Enthusiasm, indeed, is infectious. That’s pretty much the winning ingredient in most of these therapy sessions, which can be construed as fun, leisurely activities any day. It’s evident in the faces of everyone who attends, including the caretakers.
Lantern Lifestyle has since established a reputation for being one of the pioneers of innovative approaches to memory care through its Svayus and Fountain of Life programs. The brand was lauded for its efforts to prevent Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia among seniors.
If you want to learn more about Lantern Lifestyle and the three major communities that compose it, you can visit their main website here.
