Newswise — LEXINGTON, Ky. ( Aug. 2, 2024) – The University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has introduced a groundbreaking initiative, Brain Health Ac tivities , aimed at supporting individuals with dementia and their caregivers.
The program was developed with extensive collaboration across the UK campus, offering a variety of resources designed to enhance brain health and quality of life for those affected by dementia and their caregivers. The idea for the Brain Health Activities program came from a recognized need for more accessible activities for people with dementia, especially in rural communities. “The goal of the program is to create a resource that can spread beyond Lexington to areas where such offerings are limited,” said April Stauffer, program coordinator for Sanders-Brown.
“We aim to extend this throughout Kentucky, the United States, and even globally.” The impetus for this initiative can be traced back to a personal experience by neurologist Greg Jicha, M.D.
, Ph.D., more than two decades ago.
“We were working with the family of a patient who were struggling with what to do with their loved one who was in the early stages of dementia,” said Jicha. “They didn't want to do anything. They just wanted to sit in front of the TV and watch reruns of ‛Gunsmoke.
’ I talked with them about day programs and seeing what was available in their rural community. They basically got back in touch with me and said there was not anything in thei.