Yoga for Dementia Patients: Day 5
I usually have a tennis lesson right before the yoga session at the dementia day centre. I observe these 10 really old men who regularly play tennis in the adjoining courts. They look very healthy, cheerful, slim and alert. The contrast with the patients at the dementia day centre couldn’t be more stark. This difference that exercise makes to the quality of life reinforces my commitment to use yoga to help the dementia patients. Hope this commitment sustains.
The chairs were nicely set out in a double row again. I am starting to get a few regular people in my sessions. The familiar faces were Joe*, Mark, John, Chris, Manny, Julie, Nita and Rosie.
Nita was in a surprisingly good mood. Her smile is the sweetest thing in the world. I had many occasions during the lesson to witness that. She made a lot of eye contact, nodded at the instructions I gave, and a couple of times even followed them. She and Mark seem to understand each other very well. Mark was very chatty in the beginning but settled down once the session got going and he did a lot of the asanas which was a change from previous occasions. John, who seems to have severe attention problems, is also slowly starting to follow instructions. What I have learnt during these five weeks is to repeat familiar asanas in the first part of the session so that people feel comfortable, and then introduce one or two new asanas or variations. Routine seems to be really important.
In the beginning, I asked them to close their eyes, have their hands in prayer pose, and make a wish about what they hoped to achieve in that session. Manny said he hoped to get rid of the knots in his system. I told them my wish was that the lesson would be enjoyable to everyone. None of the others spoke up and I am learning to respect that they may not always want to share their feelings.
Today’s session was a bit more intense than previous ones. After 5 rounds of the full sun salutation, Manny said he was a little tired. So we paused for a short time when we discussed about what the word ‘yoga’ actually meant and also talked about how they were finding it. Julie said that it was very helpful. Chris said something that sounded like ‘good’.
I got up from my chair to demonstrate a few asanas so that people at the back could see me. Julie, Rosie and a new face Sophie stood up to follow suit which was quite encouraging to observe. The focus this session was on big muscle movements to improve cardiovascular fitness, and also spinal twists — jumping Jacks, kicking the ball action, cow and cat stretches, and hip, neck and shoulder twists.
After about 40 minutes, I decided to bring them into their final relaxation. Rosie said she wanted some more. I promised to do a longer session next time. I have been invited by another dementia care home to explore the possibility of offering yoga for the residents. I am excited by the possibility of yoga making a difference.
*All names have been changed
