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Home > Events > Archived Webinars & Events > 2023 > Exercise & Dementia: Benefits and Lessons Learned from Virtual Delivery of Minds in Motion®

Exercise & Dementia: Benefits and Lessons Learned from Virtual Delivery of Minds in Motion®

Event Date: Feb 28, 2023

Recording | Related Resources

In this webinar, we will discuss the benefits of physical and social activity for people living with dementia and their care partners. We will describe the development, delivery, and impact of the virtual Minds in Motion ® and share the lessons learned, which are relevant to virtual delivery exercise more broadly. This webinar is open to anyone, and is particularly relevant for First Link Navigators, Front Line Staff, Educators, people living with dementia, care partners, service providers and researchers interested in virtual deliver of exercise.

Presenter(s):

Laura Middleton, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Applied Research, Partnerships & Outreach, Department of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, University of Waterloo
Laura Middleton is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair of Applied Research, Partnerships and Outreach in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Middleton’s research aims to identify strategies to reduce dementia risk and promote wellbeing and independence among those living with dementia, with a focus on physical activity and complementary lifestyle strategies. She involves people living with or at risk for dementia, health care professionals, and community service providers as co-researchers to create accessible and effective supports and interventions. Recent projects developed strategies to improve the inclusion and participation of persons living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment in physical activity, healthy eating, and other community wellness programs and investigated the impact of combined exercise and cognitive training among persons at risk for dementia. She is the co-lead of the Canadian Dementia Learning and Resource Network.

Bobby Neudorf, Lab Manager and Research Assistant, Brain and Body Lab, University of Waterloo
Bobby Neudorf is the lab manager and a research assistant in the Brain and Body Lab at the University of Waterloo. Through his studies and research experiences, Bobby has become interested in learning how exercise supports the well-being and quality of life of people living with dementia and other chronic conditions. From 2019-2020, Bobby coordinated the research evaluation for a YMCA exercise program, and now is in the final stages of completing the research evaluation of the virtual Minds in Motion program.

Vanessa Barnes, Project Manager for Minds in Motion®, Alzheimer Society of Ontario
Vanessa has worked in the non-profit sector for over 20 years, starting off in Developmental Services and then moving into working with people living with dementia and their care partners. Vanessa started with the Alzheimer Society of Sarnia-Lambton as a Social Service Worker student in January 2015. In 2016, she was hired has the Program and Volunteer Coordinator. Vanessa has developed and implemented several social recreational programs for people living with dementia and care partners across Sarnia-Lambton and has been involved with the Minds in Motion® program since 2017. In the fall of 2021, she became the Project Manger for Minds in Motion® with the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.

Debbie & Andy Walker, Minds in Motion® Participants
Andy and Debbie live in the City of Kawartha Lakes, by the town of Norland and Coboconk. Prior to moving here, they lived in Brampton from 1975 to 2014. They used to have a cottage on Shadow Lake but tore it down to build their permanent home. Debbie’s family has had a summer place in Coboconk since 1947. Debbie is a retired RN and Andy was a Corrugated Salesman and retired from Atlantic Packaging and Gerrity Corrugated and Computer in 2014. Andy was diagnosed with dementia in September 2020, and they met with a support worker from the Alzheimer Society in July of 2021. They were told about the Minds in Motion program, so when it started virtually in September of that same year, Andy joined in. Fitness and eating healthy is important to them, and Debbie encourages Andy to do what is needed to maintain his brain and memory function.

Ernie & Eva Kovacs, Minds in Motion® Participants
Ernie and Eva are originally from Toronto, Ontario. They have been living in Lindsay, Ontario, and the surrounding area for almost 50 years. We have been retired for the past 13 years. Eva was diagnosed with dementia just over 4 years ago. They now live with one of their daughters in a rural area between Peterborough and Lindsay, Ontario. Another daughter and her family live next door to us. They are a close-knit family, and the 3 generations enjoy many activities together from meals and celebrations to games, sports, and travel. Ernie and Eva joined Minds in Motion Virtually in January 2022 and Minds in Motion In-Person in April 2022, as soon as Covid rules allowed it. They said that the program gets them exercising, socializing and stimulates their minds. Just what the doctor ordered, and they love it!