NEWS

A FOCUS GROUP UNDER THE HALT PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED IN THE HOME FOR ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN THE TOWN OF BANYA - SONIC START

30.07.2022

On the 30th of July, 2022, in the Home for adults with intellectual disabilities in the town of Banya – Sonic Start, a focus group with users and educators of the social service was held, which aimed to understand the needs of individuals regarding sport and physical activity, and in particular – regarding the opportunities to practice table tennis. The game of table tennis is one of the most engaging activities for the brain and even older players can play table tennis recreationally. It is a fast moving, competitive activity which positively affects physical fitness levels, improves sustained attention and enhances the development of visuospatial skills. Due to these characteristics and the accessibility of the sport, it has been proved through research that table tennis can be effectively used as a prevention and rehabilitation program for people suffering or at risk to develop Alzheimer's and dementia since it activates up to five different sections of their brains simultaneously.

The aim of the “An educational and training program for older adults at risk of developing dementia through table tennis /hAlt/“ project, within which the research was conducted, is in cooperation with table tennis clubs, sports organizations, universities on sports science and technical partners to create awareness on the benefits of table tennis to the brain and older adults, to engage people with, or at risk to develop Alzheimer's or Dementia to table tennis activities, to offer them specialized training by adequately trained table tennis coaches (certified as "coaches with knowledge and perception of Alzheimer's and dementia") while at the same time monitoring their activity and bio signals through wearables and an associated gamification application for socializing and attracting more peers.

„An educational and training program for older adults at risk of developing dementia through table tennis“ project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme, Key Action: Sport, Action Type: Collaborative Partnerships of the European Union.