exercise programme with integrated cognitive exercises for everybody (GeriNeTrainer)
Published on 28 September 2018
Germany
Leipzig
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The GeriNeTrainer was a project until 2013 and has since then been implemented as a permanent programme. It increases the everyday competence of people with first cognitive and motoric impairments, limited everyday skills and diagnosed dementia, especially those who are 70 years and older.
The main goal is to combine cognitive and mobility exercises with the help of a care and training concept based on a voluntary basis. The exercise units take place close to the participants’ homes in different districts of Leipzig (Saxony), so that everyone can visit the GeriNeTrainer session by themselves and become more independent.
The exercise and cognition units are offered in small groups (5–8 participants) or in one-to-one sessions. The leaders of GeriNeTrainer groups are specially trained coaches, e.g. physiotherapists with an additional education as a GeriNeTrainer. The aims are the preservation of strength, endurance, coordination and memory abilities as well as fall prevention and injury prevention. With GeriNeTrainer the elderly are supported to live independently at home as long as possible, which is an important resource to increase quality of life. By participating in the GeriNeTrainer groups people are supported to have a daily structure, they get to know other older people who live near them, which prevents isolation. Therefore, participants and their families have a contact and sustained support.
The main goal is to combine cognitive and mobility exercises with the help of a care and training concept based on a voluntary basis. The exercise units take place close to the participants’ homes in different districts of Leipzig (Saxony), so that everyone can visit the GeriNeTrainer session by themselves and become more independent.
The exercise and cognition units are offered in small groups (5–8 participants) or in one-to-one sessions. The leaders of GeriNeTrainer groups are specially trained coaches, e.g. physiotherapists with an additional education as a GeriNeTrainer. The aims are the preservation of strength, endurance, coordination and memory abilities as well as fall prevention and injury prevention. With GeriNeTrainer the elderly are supported to live independently at home as long as possible, which is an important resource to increase quality of life. By participating in the GeriNeTrainer groups people are supported to have a daily structure, they get to know other older people who live near them, which prevents isolation. Therefore, participants and their families have a contact and sustained support.
Resources needed
In order to perform trainings, treatments and mentoring, annual personnel expenses of about 110 TEUR (1 FTE administration and mentoring, 1 FTE certified trainer) are required. This does not include room capacities and other expenses which sum up to about 28 TEUR per year.
Evidence of success
It started as a pilot project, but now it’s implemented as a permanent programme in different parts of Leipzig and also in other regions of Germany. Nowadays, 70 older people train once a week in the GeriNeTrainer groups and 10 people are cared in individual single accompaniments. About 80 people have been trained as GeriNeTrainers so far.
Potential for learning or transfer
Leipzig works as a model region of the training programme, which can be easily implemented in other European regions. In general, initiating outpatient networks for geriatric patients serves as a viable example for transferring inpatient treatment to an outpatient setting. Educating and certifying trainers for such treatments and for an appropriate mentoring poses an additional opportunity for regional teaching institutions. Both the training network and the teaching aspect prove viable socio-economic boosters to regions where both might be needed.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
Organisation
GeriNet Leipzig
Germany
Leipzig
Contact
project coordinator