CFIT exercise is one of the components of the Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies center in Santa Barbara, California, the first comprehensive "cognitive shop" in America that focuses on improving memory for Alzheimer's patients and people showing early signs of Alzheimer's. Until there is a cure, helping people improve brain function is the next-best treatment. CFIT was started by Kenneth Kosik, a neuroscientist at the University of California Santa Barbara who researches Alzheimer's cures as well.
Workout Programs
CFIT focuses on lifestyle changes to improve symptoms of memory loss, keying on the relationships between brain and heart health and between brain health and social relationships. Exercise, proper nutrition and mental and emotional engagement are central to brain health throughout your lifetime. The Body Fit program at CFIT employs trainers who craft an exercise plan for each individual. CFIT uses NuStep cardio machines and sessions for stretching and balance. Clients at CFIT can work with trainers on their equilibrium, hand-eye coordination and upper- and lower-body fitness.. Therapists also design exercise programs for patients to follow at home.
Swimming and Tai Chi
In addition to individualized workout programs, CFIT offers clients exercise at its Aquatic Wellness and Exercise Rehabilitation Hospital. At the pool, you can receive personal training in swimming and other water exercises, attend conditioning classes and a special program for treating arthritis. Group tai chi classes also are available for stress reduction and to connect the mind and body. The slow and repetitive movements offer a gentle form of exercise and stretching while increasing your range of motion, oxygen and energy.
Brain Exercises
The CFIT cognitive program consists of a variety of exercises. By assessing your strengths and weaknesses, staff members develop an individualized program. There are computer games to play, including Name Me, Pattern Memory and Jigsaw 9. There are interactive challenges such as Scrabble, Blockus and Boggle, as well as tennis and bowling. In addition, patients might work on such elements as visual scanning and perception, short-term memory and deductive reasoning, depending on individual needs.
Music Exercises
A specialist in cognitive disorders uses music exercises to aid seniors with neurological impairments, since researchers have found music to be a deeply ingrained part of memory. Exercises include balancing, sequencing, visual tracking, auditory information and memory work.
In Search of a Cure
Kosik became interested in Alzheimer's disease in the early 1990s, when neurologist Francisco Lopez told him of an extended clan in the Medellin area of Colombia. Many members of the extended family of country dwellers, numbering about 5,000, suffer from a gene leading to Alzheimer's that has affected family members as young as their 40s. Kosik has been a regular visitor to Medellin, and a new research project to see if Alzheimer's can be prevented for those in the clan not yet stricken is in the planning stages, as of June 2010.
