What is cognitive stimulation?
Cognitive stimulation is a set of activities aimed at maintaining or improving cognitive functioning in general, through exercises of memory, perception, attention, concentration, language, executive functions such as: problem solving, planning, reasoning and control. Praxias and visuospatial functions, through structured stimulation programs.
In other words, this treatment is based on stimulating and maintaining existing cognitive abilities, with the aim of improving or maintaining cognitive functioning and delaying the deterioration that is continually occurring. As the human being grows older, the organism undergoes changes inside and out, cognitive abilities diminish with the passage of time in a different way in each individual, more or less rapidly.
Cognitive changes can have different causes:
- The passage of time.
- Age-related memory problems.
- Progressive deterioration that may lead to dementia.
- Mild cognitive impairment.
- A neurodegenerative disease.
- Alzheimer’s type dementia, vascular or Lewy body dementia.
Why is it performed?
Cognitive stimulation is performed to achieve the activation of brain functions through activities and exercises. In many occasions, exercises such as word search puzzles, search for differences or Sudoku are used, among other pastimes such as board games. Cognitive stimulation is based on performing activities to stimulate the brain, in addition to day-to-day activities, can be complemented with the paper and pencil exercises mentioned above. Performing various types of activities can enhance the cognitive stimulation of each individual.
Some puzzles such as word searches or Sudoku can be considered cognitive stimulation exercises.
Preparation for cognitive stimulation
The most important thing is to adapt the environment to the person with dementia and not the other way around; the exercise must be facilitated and simplified so that it can be carried out successfully. This precept will be necessary throughout the disease, for activities to be carried out or to successfully perform day-to-day activities. For example: to carry out an exercise in which the person with whom we are carrying out the therapy tells us how to prepare a recipe or writes down the steps to follow. Asking about a family event that the person remembers with happiness or reviewing and ordering the electricity, water, telephone bills… can be other exercises that achieve successful cognitive stimulation.
Care during cognitive stimulation
It should be taken into account during the cognitive stimulation that the patient should be helped to successfully solve the activity whenever he/she has difficulties (some examples are remembering the name of a loved one or giving clues to solve a mathematical problem). On the other hand, the patient should not be given importance to the mistakes he/she may make and avoid making the patient feel questioned. In short, remember the situation as a pleasant moment to share.