It's called CFIT, which stands for Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies.ĭr. They’re members of a unique non-profit group for people who show little or no signs of the disease. And they believe this simple musical challenge can help reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's. The drummers look frustrated, but they’re clearly having fun. A music therapist creates a rhythm, but when she sings, the once steady drum beat deteriorates quickly. They’re told to bang their own drum four times, then reach over to bang their neighbor’s drum four times - back and forth - in unison. Karen Pelland: Bill, Bob, Mickey, and Barbara sit in a circle, holding paddle drums in one hand, and mallets in the other. The CFIT center for Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies in Santa Barbara, California. Producer Karen Pelland brought us the story, transcript below. Kosik can't say for sure whether his program prevents Alzheimer's, he says there is plenty of evidence that CFIT reduces one's risk for developing the disease, and perhaps delays its onset. None of CFIT's clients has the disease, and most show little or no sign of cognitive decline. He founded CFIT two years ago with the idea that people don't have to live in fear of developing Alzheimer's, and that relatively simple lifestyle measures can be taken to reduce risk, while improving quality of life. Many call it a "brain gym", as it utilizes everything from board games to Wii Fit to music therapy to give the brain a good work out.ĭoctor Ken Kosik is a neurologist, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, and a leader in Alzheimer's research. It's called CFIT, which stands for Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies.
Researchers are desperately seeking treatment, or a cure, but in the mean time, a non-profit facility in Santa Barbara, California is working to reduce people's risk of developing the disease in the first place. Currently about 5.4 million American suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and as the baby boomer population ages, it's estimated that by the year 2050 that number will at least triple.
0 kommentar(er)
