Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Swimmer's Daily
    • Home
    • Blog
    • Timeline
    • Tags
    • Sitemap
    • About
    • Contact
    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube Tumblr
    Swimmer's Daily
    Home»Guest Post»Swimming And Dementia: How Are They Interrelated?
    Guest Post

    Swimming And Dementia: How Are They Interrelated?

    rokurBy rokurJanuary 9, 2020Updated:January 9, 20206 Comments7 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Imagine the sea waves crashing gently on your feet as you embrace the saline breeze while
    gazing at the pinkish-blue horizon. Or, imagine yourself floating on the lukewarm water in a
    pool. Feels relaxed, doesn’t it?

    swim body of water photo
    Image courtesy of fougeres-agglomeration, Pixabay License Free for commercial use, No attribution required

    According to scientific research, being near or in water has therapeutic and healing qualities for
    mental health. Especially for patients with dementia, swimming can be a way to rewind and
    relax. As scientists and medical practitioners unravel more benefits of swimming for people
    living with dementia, senior care facilities are adding swim classes by the minute to their
    calendars. Not only does swimming offer a low impact form of exercise for patients with
    dementia, but it also gives them a chance to socialize with the same group of people every week.

    Read on to know more about swimming and how it can improve the quality of life for people suffering from dementia.

    1. Swimming improves Socialization Skills 

    The primary reason for dementia among older adults is isolation. Most people diagnosed with dementia lose their ability to communicate with others when experiencing advanced memory loss. They often resort to anti-social behavior as a defense mechanism. Moreover, since most often, dementia is paired up with schizophrenia, withdrawing into a self-made cocoon can accelerate things for the worse.

    This is why care facilities are beginning to introduce swimming as a part of scheduled social hours. This allows patients to gather at the pool to enjoy the company of people they haven’t met earlier. Since water makes the ambiance more relaxing, patients find it easier to socialize and communicate with others on the same boat with them. This exchange of problems and solutions with each other can often bring out better solutions than medication.

    2. Swimming improves Memory Skills

    For patients experiencing early signs of dementia, the phase where the memories keep coming back and then start fading can be scary. Research has shown how light exercise can improve an older person's motor and memory skills. And when we talk about light cardiovascular exercises, yoga and swimming are what the doctors mostly prescribe. Swimming sessions can improve their cognitive abilities, which would help them retain and reminisce about their past.

    Moreover, scheduled swimming hours will inevitably improve a person’s physical health, thus helping patients stay more active. A recent study has shown how taking a dip and staying in water for a long period can improve blood flow to the brain. With a better heart rate and blood circulation, a patient gets a better supply of oxygen and nutrients, thus having a positive impact on brain health.

    3. Swimming provides a Break from Stress

    While cardio and aerobics can help you relieve stress, swimming is a more effective way, thanks to the presence of the soothing touch of water. Being in water can help a person loosen up his or her body and mind. Moreover, with patients of dementia, half the cure is in deviating them to focus on other things. When someone is immersed in water, they are more likely to pay close attention to the technique of not sinking. Additionally, the rhythm of the swimming strokes also has a relaxing and meditative effect on the mind.

    A scientific study conducted on rats has shown how swimming can generate new brain cells in parts of the brain that have been plagued with cell deterioration due to chronic stress. The process is called hippocampal neurogenesis, and the possibilities are that swimming has the same effect on the human brain, as well.

    4. Swimming lowers Depression and Anxiety

    Every 2 in 5 cases of dementia find roots in depression and anxiety. Regular swimming sessions for even half an hour can reduce incidences of depression. Swimming also has positive impacts on a person's sleep patterns. Since swimming, like other cardiovascular exercises, releases endorphins, it promotes a greater sense of happiness and wellbeing among patients living with dementia.

    Moreover, for people showing early signs of dementia, swimming has led to an improvement in self-worth by 30%. With better memory, focus, and concentration, patients have been able to achieve better satisfaction in life.

    5. Swimming serves as Low Impact Exercise

    The more we say about the boon that exercising is, the less it will be. However, high-impact exercises like jogging and sprinting can be hectic for senior patients. However, swimming can be great for older people with deteriorated health of their joints and limbs. Due to being a strength training exercise but with low resistance from the water, swimming sessions let senior patients improve their flexibility.

    Isolation can be a hard thing to battle and depression can become overwhelming for people living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. However, getting seniors to be up and moving can be quite a task. Since swimming deciphers to more of relaxing and less of exercising, this sort of exercise may not be overwhelming for them. The patients are more willing to put their best strokes in the water rather than taking a jog in the park.

    6. Scheduled Swimming Sessions lead to Better Organization  

    Humans love operating in a routine because that helps them stay organized. Scheduled swimming hours give a patient, who is otherwise barely preoccupied, a fun activity to look forward to. A routine helps them stay active and social. Moreover, swimming sessions serve as activities that are mentally stimulating.

    Patients in senior care facilities without a proper routine barely have things to do every day, which leads to a sense of detachment, stemming from isolation. Allowing the patients to pick activities they want to engage in, gives them a sense of belonging and a chance to live how they want.

    7. The color Blue has Healing Powers

    Although not a hard scientific fact, there is plenty of research evidence that suggests that the shade blue has powers of mental healing. Blue (pale blue tones, in particular) is a soothing color and being in blue spaces affects us mentally, by keeping us calm and aiding better concentration.

    The hue of blue is mostly associated with water and the color of the endless sky. It is a proposed theory that since two of the earth elements are blue, many people feel drawn towards water and that being near a water body can have a soothing influence on the mind.

    8. Swim hours offer Caregivers a Break 

    Taking care of an elderly person experiencing memory loss can be an overwhelming task that can often take a mental toll. To boost an employee’s morale, care centers are arranging for social events that give patients a chance to be normal and on their own, so that the caregivers can let their hair down a bit.

    Since the primary motive of swimming hours is to empower patients with dementia and give them confidence, they reduce the sense of responsibility of caretakers. These hours also provide them with their support network and an opportunity to take a break from caring.

    Summing up,

    From better cognitive and motor skills to enhanced life quality; the benefits of swimming are countless. This is why more and more care facilities are adding swimming to the daily schedules of elderly residents living with dementia. These ‘water hours’, as they call it, allow the seniors to socialize and stay active, which is essential for battling memory loss.

    Caring for close ones suffering more chronic memory loss can be an exhaustive task. But the next time you feel at sea, let the person find solace in the very water that you are sinking in. The tables can turn to make a savior out of the distressed. The person may help you come up to the surface – you never know!

    Author Bio: Shirley Brown is a certified therapist for patients with Alzheimer's and Dementia. She is also a counsellor for the assignment help site MyAssignmenthelp. In her free time, she loves to write insightful blogs on mental distresses and wellbeing.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    rokur
    • Website

    Production engineer and certified swim coach. Full-time IT consultant, spare-time swimming aficionado. 2 sons, 2 daughters and a wife. President of the Faroe Islands Aquatics Federation. Likes to run :-)

    Related Posts

    His Swimming Raised Money for Friends With Cancer. Then the Doctor Called. | WTVR CBS

    September 8, 2023

    Person Gets Sick, Dies After Swimming in Lake LBJ | KXAN

    August 31, 2023

    How Swimming Changed the Life of an 82-Year-Old Woman | KHOU 11

    August 25, 2023

    6 Comments

    1. eillajones309 on January 17, 2020 9:28 am

      A great thanks for sharing this kind of article on your website.. do you failing in getting very good grades. If you want to get very good grades in all your assignments and seeking online assignment help.then visit SourceEssay and get all academic help.

      Reply
    2. chrisgail on February 6, 2020 4:13 am

      I am also want to swim in the sea but I have not such tools which can be wear for swimming.

      Reply
    3. Domystats on April 22, 2020 9:36 am

      Thanks for your valuable post. If you are looking for assignment help then you can visit our site.

      Reply
    4. Vhelpedu on June 15, 2020 10:09 am

      Wonderful post here! Thanks for sharing this educated blog with us, genuinely an incredibly informative website. It is useful for us.

      Reply
    5. Angelina Brown on June 29, 2020 8:28 pm

      Thank you for writing such an amazing article! I would also like to point that swimming is great for caregivers as well. Swimming lessons reduce the responsibility on caregivers for a period of time. It also gives them their own support network.

      Reply
    6. nures on August 18, 2020 4:20 pm

      Your article is attractive and informative. Thank you for sharing. Any student pursuing nursing should be passionate about it. Even though it is important to attain high scores, there’s a need to go the extra mile in delivery of services to the patients which is a skill that may not be learned in school. Also, nursing students need to understand nursing concepts and be able to implement them in real life. They have to carry out a lot of research especially when they have assignments to handle. Learn more from Nursing Paper Writers .

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Sponsor
    Top Posts
    • Until Fairly Recently, The YMCA Actually Required Swimmers To Be Nude
      Until Fairly Recently, The YMCA Actually Required Swimmers To Be Nude
    • 4 Singaporeans Make History by Swimming Across English Channel | CNA
      4 Singaporeans Make History by Swimming Across English Channel | CNA
    • USA Swimming announces plans for August return
      USA Swimming announces plans for August return
    • EIU Suspends Men’s Swimming Team Amidst Hazing Reports | WCIA News
      EIU Suspends Men’s Swimming Team Amidst Hazing Reports | WCIA News
    • At 60, Oldest Singaporean Swims the English Channel: Head Above Water - Part 2/2 | on the Red Dot
      At 60, Oldest Singaporean Swims the English Channel: Head Above Water - Part 2/2 | on the Red Dot
    • Butterfly Biondi | Improving the Timing of Butterfly Breathing | Propulsion Swimming
      Butterfly Biondi | Improving the Timing of Butterfly Breathing | Propulsion Swimming
    • How to Dive in a Swimming Pool | Step-By-Step Technique to Dive Into Water | Rocket Swimming
      How to Dive in a Swimming Pool | Step-By-Step Technique to Dive Into Water | Rocket Swimming
    • 10 Worst Shark Attacks Ever Recorded
      10 Worst Shark Attacks Ever Recorded
    • In a yellow submarine for two
      In a yellow submarine for two
    • Truck crashes into backyard swimming pool | 9 News Australia
      Truck crashes into backyard swimming pool | 9 News Australia
    Countdown to Bucharest 2023December 5, 2023
    66 days to go.
    Categories
    Buffer Overflow
    Tweets by swimmersdaily
    • RSS - Posts
    • RSS - Comments
    Search

     Subscribe in a reader

     Subscribe to comments

    Contact Info & Hours
    Swimmer's Daily
    c/o Rókur í Jákupsstovu
    Brekkuvegur 10
    FO-650 Toftir
    Faroe Islands
    Mobile +298 219754
    [email protected]
    09:00-21:00 UTC/GMT
    Subscribe to Blog via Email

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 181 other subscribers
    Meta
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube Tumblr
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.