mentia,” said Ron Keller, executive director at Senior Star at Dublin Retirement Village. Keller initiated the company’s interest in
BikeAround last September after he heard about it from a fellow board member of the Alzheimer’s Association. At the time there was only one other BikeAround in the U.S., and that was at a physical therapy rehabil- itation facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Keller passed the information on to Senior Star executives, who promptly ordered six bikes from Camanio Care. In January 2018 they ordered five more to provide one for every Senior Star community. “I’ve been with the company for 22 years
and this is probably one of the most pow- erful programs I’ve ever seen,” Keller said. The benefits of reminiscence therapy
with BikeAround go beyond the immediate pleasure of recalling happy times. “Many people who are living with dementia want to go home, and they can be very persistent,” Dahlberg said. “If you’re able to allow this person to go home one, two, or three times a day, it calms them down.” She notes that it has helped reduce anxiety in some users, allowing them to sleep better and feel hap- pier overall.
Safe, fun physical exercise BikeAround provides a safe and fun way for residents to exercise in a monitored environ- ment. Each component of the BikeAround system is fully adjustable to accommodate all body types and abilities. Pedaling can be as easy or hard as each
resident needs. “You can crank the resistance up and it can be more challenging for the res- ident,” Hernandez said. “If range of motion is a goal for that resident, then you can lower the resistance a bit and just encourage them to cycle on the bike and to have their hands on the handlebars, turning them.” People with more severe physical limita-
tions can simply sit in the seat or even on a chair and look at the screen. An associate or other assistant can navigate through the screen view by using the arrow keys on the computer. “It’s really accessible even if folks can’t use the pedals or steer,” Hernandez said. Most riders use the bike anywhere from
five minutes to an hour at a time. Usage depends on their physical ability and how absorbed they are in recalling memories. Dahlberg said that people are generally able to exercise longer when they are fully immersed in the experience.
Social and family benefits One of the most rewarding benefits of BikeAround is its ability to facilitate social connections among residents, family mem- bers, and staff. At Senior Star’s Elmore Place communi-
ty in Davenport, Iowa, a diverse group of men meets once a week at the BikeAround. They’ll show each other a place that’s meaningful to them and relate the expe- riences they had there. “It’s kind of like a show and tell, but at the BikeAround,” said Hernandez. “They all gather around, have coffee, and enjoy each other’s company.” Dahlberg has also found that the bikes
provide unique opportunities for residents to get
to know each other better. She
mentioned two people at community in Sweden who didn’t know they had worked in the same place under the same manag- er until they shared their memories at the BikeAround. When families come to visit, BikeAround can facilitate more meaningful conversations. “Some of the residents in memory care are not very communicative,” Keller said. “But when you spark that memory, and they can visualize it and see it, then they start talking. And the families are just blown away.” Charlie Stenner’s mother Pat is a mem-
ory care resident at Senior Star at Dublin Retirement Village. She uses the bike about once a month. It has brought up happy memories, including stories that Stenner and his brothers had never heard before. “It has helped us as a family,” he said. “When we do have conversations where she’s rid- ing the bike, it’s a new conversation every couple of minutes, as opposed to the same conversation we just had.” Everyone at Senior Star, including asso-
ciates and family members, is welcome to use the bikes. Family members can use them to show residents where they live, work, or
TIPS FOR USING BIKEAROUND
The BikeAround package includes a Quick Start Guide that offers instructions and suggestions for its use. Here are a few tips from the guide along with additional advice from Jasmine Dahlberg, head of operations at Camanio Care:
• Consult in advance with family members and with resident background information to get one or two addresses for starting destinations.
• Begin by asking the resident where they lived, worked, or went to school during the happiest part of their life. Don’t automatically start with childhood, as it may not have been a happy time.
• To encourage reminiscence and conversation, pick one or two topics to ask questions about. Suggestions include friends, family members, neighbors, seasons and holidays, hobbies or sports, love, vacations, pets, or school.
• However, don’t bombard the person with questions. Give the resident time to recall memories on her own.
• Have an associate take notes during each biking session to provide starting points for next time.
• The associate should sit beside the resident to create the feeling of taking a ride together.
• Encourage the resident to turn the handlebars and look at the surroundings on the screen.
travel. Sharing life stories, whether past or present, helps build stronger connections throughout the community. Perhaps the impact of BikeAround is best
summed up by Stenner’s succinct but enthu- siastic review: “Two thumbs up!”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
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