Rutgers Brain Exercise Initiative develops exercises for those with neurodegenerative diseases
The Rutgers Brain Exercise Initiative is an on-campus student organization where undergraduates aim to develop brain exercises in order to slow the impact of neurodegenerative diseases on mental abilities, according to the club's getINVOLVED page.
Daniel Hamdani, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and president of the Brain Exercise Initiative, said that the organization has introductory general meetings and training sessions throughout September for students to become familiar with the organization.
Furthermore, he said that the organization wants to have more events this academic year with guest speakers to talk about neurodegenerative conditions.
"Our sessions are open to anyone interested in wanting to give back to the community," Hamdani said.
The organization is a chapter under the national Brain Exercise Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to using cognitive stimulation to avert memory loss. The club allows students to sign up to volunteer with nursing homes.
There is research that has been developed by Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima that outlines how individuals with Alzheimer's disease significantly improve when they perform basic math and read-aloud activities for 30 minutes, five times a week, according to the national Brain Exercise Initiative page.
Hamdani said that the founder of the national organization, Esin Gumustekin, found Kawashima's study and created the association for people to learn from the study and help families like her own who are suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
"Our volunteers help those suffering from these conditions by administering packets with trivia, math and reading comprehension as a means to help slow the neurodegeneration process," Hamdani said. "Research done in Japan has illustrated many positive outcomes from administering these exercises and is the basis of which our organization operates on."
Hamdani said that in their meetings, they review Kawashima's study and practice various scenarios to simulate how they will engage with the nursing home residents.
During the training sessions, students and electoral board members replicate the packets used in Kawashima's study. The organization added a trivia section, which was introduced by the national board, to see if the exercises will create more stimulation for the residents.
Caden Matson, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and vice president of the Brain Exercise Initiative, said that the main goal behind the exercises is to enable high self-esteem and avoid frustration.
"Furthermore, if someone finds the math section very simple, you would want to challenge them," he said. "The goal is to keep them away from distressing states and feeling confident and slightly challenged, to keep them in a flow state."
Matson said that he went to the national GLOBE conference for the Initiative to see what technological and research advances are in progress to help those with cognitive disabilities. In addition, he said the organization is helping younger members of society develop empathy and understanding toward those suffering from neurological conditions.
Hamdani said his favorite memory is meeting with new nursing home residents weekly and working with student volunteers from different backgrounds. He said that he hopes the volunteers will become involved in more organizations in the future that benefit their communities.
The Brain Exercise Initiative hosted a table at the Involvement Fair on September 2 for students who are interested in their organization. Hamdani said that for those who could not attend the fair, all of their event and volunteer applications are on the club's GroupMe.
"It is very important that we support the families who have loved ones suffering from these conditions," Hamdani said. "Because they often feel depressed and lonely due to the fact that they are now strangers to their own loved ones."
