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Question Time

 
What is Intellectual Fitness
Intellectual Fitness or Cognified Fitness as it is called, involves a combination of physical and cognitive training. Your brain is trained to stay fit and healthy with the help of physical exercises which utilise your intellectual powers. To stay mentally sharp, and avoid neurological disorders like, dementia as you age, you need to train your mind along with your body. While the elderly population are concerned about staying mentally fit, the younger generation tries to ‘gamify' their exercise programmes to make it more fun and interesting. Tasks which involve several cognitive functions to work simultaneously while performing physical activities are included in cognified training. Physical and cognitive exercise should be continued for as long as possible for people with dementia, as it's been found to have a number of benefits - preventing muscle weakness, mobility problems and other health problems associated with inactivity. In addition it can help to promote a normal day-night routine, improve mood and increase social participation.
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Our carehome employs a specific person full time to provide in-house activities. Why should we be using an outside provider?.
The outside activity providers are specialists in their specific fields and keep up to date with new techniques, therefore bringing up to date outcomes to your residents. There is also the social part of the activity. Your residents see the same staff day in, day out and for your residents wellbeing they need to be interacting with different persons on a social level.
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How often should elderly residents be engaging in fitness activities ?.
It is recommended that persons over 65 should get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week or 30 minutes per day. Alternatively 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as jogging each week.
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We have a resident who's sight impaired. Could he still take part in the programs you offer?.
The answer is most definitely YES. Our trainers will talk the resident through the activity and assist the resident in order to provide a meaningful experience for him. All our activities are inclusive, regardless of the residents ability.
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How often should our residents be participating in your classes?.
In order to see progress as often as possible. We recommend the following: FitBingo/FitHoy/FitWord - weekly; Walking4Life - 30 minutes per day; Otago Falls Prevention - 30 minutes per day plus the 30 minutes Walking4Life per day; BeActive with Parkinson's Disease - 30-60 minutes per day plus the 30 minutes Walking4Life per day; 1-2-1 sessions - 2x 60 minute sessions per week.
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Some of our residents have dementia. Will they be excluded from your classes?.
All our trainers are Dementia friendly and have undergone training. Your residents will not be excluded, in fact we will welcome their participation at our sessions.
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How do I access At Home Live Classes and At Home On Demand
Both these services are accessed via the Zoom platform which is available via the web, iOS or Android. All our classes are end to end encrypted thus ensuring the safety and identity of all our participants.To access our classes is an easy 4 step process, open Zoom, join meeting, enter meeting ID, enter passcode and you're in the class.
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How classes have evolved?.
Over the months our classes have evolved from having single screen participation to multiple screen participation. The advantage of the multi screen option is that participants unable to join the group physically are still able to participate remotely, thus no one is left out. The value of the multi screen was scene during intergenerational week when a number of participant's family members joined in from remote locations to share the experience with their loved ones. The biggest benefit we've found has been where a participant has a hearing impairment, the participant can then view on their own device with earphones connected. Due to the overwhelming response from participants of At Home Live we've developed At Home On Demand. This service offers participants the choice of choosing different daily classes to fit in with their time restraints and also their goals. This enables participants to get their full 150 minutes of active exercise per week. For those signed up for At Home Live, At Home Demand is provided as a free add on. There is no cap on the number of classes streamed from this service. At Home Demand is growing and new content is being uploaded on a weekly basis.
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Are there going to be other classes and services added to the digital service?.
Going forward we're working on providing GRASP and FAME on the platform, OTAGO falls prevention program has already been launched complete with the workbook. We're also looking at expanding FitWord into a full session and making it available on At Home On Demand. Future expansions also depends upon our clients requirements, therefore we value their input.
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What makes our services different from others?.
What makes our services different from others is the fact that we view our clients from a holistic perspective. We don't just provide the physical fitness but also the mental fitness as well as a social environment in which they are eager to participate in. At anytime our participants are able to converse with our trainer, ask questions, have a general chat or sing to the music. All our classes revolve around Intellectual Fitness which combines the physical aspect of fitness with the intellectual or cognified fitness, resulting in an increase in participant retention. This offers a session where there is something for everyone. The cognitive aspect takes the form of either FitBingo or FitWord - crossword, scrabble or word search. There are a wide range of topics to choose from and can be customised for the participants. All supporting cards and puzzles are emailed in pdf form prior to the class and only require to be printed and handed out to the participants. The supporting puzzles and bingo cards will change with each session in order to enhance the experience. Our At Home Live Classes are supplemented with our At Home On Demand Classes thus ensuring that participants wellbeing is catered for throughout the week. Our studio is decked out during the year for various occasions eg: Intergenerational Week, Mothers and Fathers Day, Burns Night, St Patrick's Day, Easter to mention a few. The week preceding the event our studio will be themed for the specific event for the entire week. FitWord will also take on the weeks theme. Customised bingo cards and puzzles for each session, no two bingo cards the same. We offer multi screens which have added benefits to participants as well as all our classes being a full 60 minutes. Resistance bands, weighted bags and sensory balls used. We are able to formulate classes to suit our participants. Streamlined invoicing - itemised billing, one invoice per month, electronically distributed and payable by direct debit unless other terms agreed.
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Do you offer discounts?.
We offer a discount of 13.5% to NAPA members.
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What are the categories available for FitWord
At present we cover the following: Arts & Entertainment, Books & Literature, Health, News, Pets & Animals, Science, Travel, Food & Drink, Hobbies & Leisure, Beauty & Fitness, Home & Garden, Sports. We are able to compile puzzles to cover your specific topic.
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Do all participants in FitBingo have the same bingo card?
All our bingo cards are different, there are no two the same, therefore each participant will receive a different card.
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What maintenance does the equipment need?
Very little, we suggest that the balls, resistance bands and weighted bags are wiped with an antibacterial wipe before each use. In order to preserve the resistance bands we suggest that they are lightly coated with baby powder in order to absorb any oils from the skin on a monthly basis.
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What is the advantage to a Carehome in using the At Home Live Classes?
The main reason being that the Carehome environment is not being compromised by having people coming and going to present activities. This obviously cuts down on infections being brought in from the outside, thus protecting their residents. In addition there is also the time factor and the "upheaval" of outsiders in the home for longer than required. It normally takes around half an hour to set up and dismantle by the trainer, this time is saved. For residents with dementia, it's unsettling to have people coming and going, this discomfort is then avoided. Much better time management, can connect 5/10 minutes before the class and disconnect at the end.
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