On 8th of February this year Gdynia Sports Centre, one of the partners in the project, completed a series of 10-week classes combining games to improve memory and physical activity in the form of Zumba.
Classes were directed to seniors over 55 and were held as part of the international MEMTRAIN project co-financed by the Erasmus + program of the European Union.
The main assumption of the program was to conduct evaluation among the participants. Research was carried out on the basis of guidelines presented by the organization Miguel Hernandez de Elche University from Spain. The research exercises were carried out at the beginning and at the end of the cycle of all meetings. Participants were tested for memorizing words and concentration and divisibility of attention in Stroop Test, and then tested in the so-called physical tests “8 Feet Up and Go” and “6 Minutes’ Walk”.
These measurements have become the main tool to verify the physical capabilities of seniors and their mental performance. A series of innovative and free meetings with a qualified trainer at the forefront positively influenced the seniors.
Classes were conducted every week at the same time. Every senior even the most demanding could check himself in exercises such as: imitating and repeating clapping moves in different sequence and tempo, searching for synonyms, remembering random words spoken by the teacher, matching words to colors, searching for opposites, visual memorizing things in succession.
Based on the classes and the survey conducted among the participants of the program, it is safe to say that the willingness to participate in this type of activities is enormous, and physical exercise and memory games are a great way to stimulate the body and mind.
