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By Adam Garrett-Clark
When you ask former American history teacher, Don G. how he heard about the memory club at Riverstone Senior Life Services on Fort Washington Avenue, his answer is fairly predicable – he can’t remember. “My wife must have had something to do with it,” he says. A few moments later, during casual conversation, he becomes flustered and embarrassed when asked what street he lives on. He can’t say.
Don is joined by Leo P., who finds himself sheepishly walking away from arguments with street merchants over the price of mangos he forgot he put in his bag, and Jose M., who doesn’t know how he would survive without his little black notebook.
“I’m making Staples rich,” he says.
All of these individuals are finding relief from their problems caused by dementia and memory loss in physical movement exercises.
“Alzheimer’s isn’t just memory loss,” somatic movement therapist Jaime Ortega explains.
Physically, people who suffer from memory loss, lose their spatial orientation as well. They can’t distinguish their left from right or forward from back. Dementia sufferers often have trouble with balance and recognizing their surroundings, Ortega explained, which are inseparable parts of their mental state.
In addition to group counseling, which involves education on coping with memory loss and memory enhancing techniques, the memory club meets regularly with Ortega to wiggle and clap their hands as a way to sharpen minds.
A relatively new discipline created in the 1920s, somatic movement therapy is the science of teaching people to drive their bodies more effectively. On one side of the spectrum the discipline is used with athletes and performers to help them reach their body’s pr instrument’s full potential. On the other side it can be used in cases like the participants of the memory club.
Ortega uses complex movement sequences and physical puzzles to work the brain and keep it active, he explained. “We know that the brain can remain supple,” Ortega says, it can regenerate itself if it is stimulated enough in the right ways. At a recent class Ortega starts a simple rhythm of claps and thigh slaps on one side of the room, then he starts the other side of the room with a countering rhythm and changes the two sides back and forth with increasing complexity.
“Complex movement sequences force your brain to work in much more specific ways,” he said, forcing the brain to create new pathways. During each class the group is taught new routines, often invented by Ortega on the spot, which force them to learn. Often Ortega has the group do movements that can become frustrating: evolved versions of simultaneously patting your head and rubbing your stomach.
One of the biggest challenges with memory loss, group member Hector B. explains, is overcoming anger and frustration.
So a good portion of the class is also spent with breathing exercises and self massage to help members learn to relax.
Ortega reminds them that even if they can’t get the steps right, it’s okay; they are still doing good work for themselves. The mere act of trying to tackle a new task increases their neuroplasticity, he said. Trying is good enough. “I tell them the effort you are doing will render results,” he said.
Editor’s Note: To avoid complications that might arise if an individual interviewed for this story could not remember the interview, Riverstone Senior Life Services asked that individuals only be identified by their first name and first initial of their last name.
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