It’s never too late to adopt a healthy lifestyle, according to a Finnish study. Over the next two years, the UMCG will also be investigating the effect of a combination of lifestyle changes on the cognitive abilities of the elderly. A combination of exercise, healthy diet, good control of cardiovascular health and memory training is said to improve the thinking ability of seniors. At Vaart Welzijn in Assen they are busy getting seniors moving. For example, through weekly sports lessons.
Nearly 400 seniors exercise weekly at the Vaart Welzijn facilities. Today there are gymnastics lessons and singing and dancing moments. A small group of ladies around eighty years old do exercises for an hour. “Working together is so nice,” says 79-year-old Hilda Harthoorn. She has been doing gymnastics for fifteen years and is fit. “I think that keeps me more flexible. I’ve had a shoulder injury once, but I can now move a lot of things again. You’re also more daring. You also know what you can and what you can’t do. You pay attention to your attitude “Stand up straight. Breathe well. Don’t look down. You are always reminded of that. It does affect you.”
“You actually also train your memory by moving,” notes Esther de Hesse, senior sports coordinator at Vaart Welzijn. “Your concentration improves, as does the processing of stimuli. That is a really nice effect of moving.”
The goal of Vaart Welzijn in Assen is to get as many seniors as possible to exercise. “Moving is just so effective for aging,” explains De Hesse. “You just stay physically and mentally much healthier. It affects people. The contact with each other is also good. It stimulates your brain function. It produces a substance. As a result, general well-being is much better.”
The ladies throw a ball, balance a cone in their hand and stand on one leg for balance. Moving is nice, says 75-year-old Joke Blaauw. “I’ve warmed up a bit, everything is smooth again. I had fun, that’s important to me.”
Blaauw got an eye disease a few years ago and only sees ten percent. Still, she’s happy to participate. The other ladies help her. “I do notice that it is good for my balance. Outside I walk with such a cane for the blind. Then I notice that you have to walk upright and that you have to hold your posture well. We also learn that here and I remember that me then.”