The project "Sport moves people with dementia" has brought together the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) and the German Alzheimer Association (DALzG). Later than originally planned because of the COVID-19 situation, four member organisations of DOSB have started with practical field work for people with dementia.
The table tennis club VfL Fortuna Marzahn and the Steglitzer Table tennis club (STTK) in Berlin as well as two clubs in Stuttgart are offering new services for people with dementia and their caregivers. The VfL has already tested a table tennis offer in a nursing home in Berlin where the weekly table tennis sessions are highlights of the week. Wheelchair users are also able to participate by using soft balls, for example. It has thus been possible for everybody to enjoy life through movement.
In the federal state of Nordrhein-Westfalen some clubs have started with a cognitive sport model of the German Sport University Cologne. The German Gymnastics Federation will address clubs in Frankfurt to help them be more inclusive of people with dementia and to adapt to their needs, so as to support them staying in clubs and not to leave because dementia sets in. Not all of these ideas are easy to realise. The situation of sport clubs in more rural areas are different from city clubs. This has been shown in the region around Osnabrück which is a rural area in the federal state of Niedersachen.
DOSB and DAlzG have used the COVID "break" in a good way. Four online courses for trainers were designed to inform them about dementia and how to communicate with people with dementia in a proper way. They have got practical instructions on how to organise sporting activities for them. Many people have participated.
The German centre for neurodegenerative diseases (DZNE) Greifswald has joined the project for scientific evaluation. They will analyse the use of materials given to training persons, to examine sports for people with dementia.
The project was supported by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs.
This has so far been a wonderful project where volunteers of the sport and the dementia movement have come together to improve participation, quality of life and prevention through movement and enjoyable activities for people with dementia and their carers.
More information:
https://richtigfitab50.dosb.de/demenz
