This program, held at Desert Sports and Fitness-Northeast, pairs UA student volunteers with individuals battling memory loss. Through physical and mental rehabilitation sessions, the program fosters a sense of community and has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Early August/mid-August is a crucial time for the program. It’s when students return to UA and must commit to an internship or volunteer service program. So, founder and director Dr. Sharon Arkin is looking immediately for participants.
To participate, applicants must be 60 or older (younger is otherwise qualified); have disabling memory problems; be willing to participate; be unable to travel independently; have reliable transportation to and from the gym; have the consent of a family member or guardian; continent of urine and bowel, if reminded regularly (pads or Depends OK); and ambulatory/able to transfer from wheelchair (cane or walker OK).
The Elder Rehab program costs $499 per 20-session semester, plus the $85 fitness evaluation fee. For more information, call 520-603-2912 or email sharonmerlearkin@gmail.com.
Arkin founded Elder Rehab in 2015. The program offers a cognitive and fitness evaluation followed by a semester-long program of twice-weekly one-to-one sessions of physical, memory and language exercises.
Arkin said caregivers are impressed with the changes. A UA professor saw his wife improve after two semesters with Elder Rehab. Arkin frequently hears stories like this.
“I have a letter from the husband of a winter visitor who wrote that from one year to the next, he did not see any decline, which is very unusual and there were some improvements in her communication,” Arkin said.
“We’re really happy when participants maintain their level of cognitive functioning, but if they improve — that’s really special.”
While participants can join at any point during the school year at a pro-rated cost, Arkin encourages people to sign up before the semester starts for maximum benefits.
“We have a rolling admission, but it’s easiest to get a partner when students are at the beginning of the semester,” Arkin said. “If they apply later and are approved, we’ll do our best to find them a student partner.”
The physical assessment is not a pass-fail event, but one that determines the exercise routine that the participant will engage in throughout the semester.
With many people who have dementia, Arkin said, the conversations between them and their caregivers tend to focus on daily hygiene and living tasks. In Elder Rehab, students are given a handbook of conversation starters.
“They talk about proverbs and idioms and names of people, places and things using a little jingle,” Arkin said. “We present controversial scenarios and ask their opinions, which depend on beliefs and values rather than memory.
“For example, what would you do if you saw a neighbor’s boy shoplifting and you knew the family and the boy didn’t know that you saw him? That depends on their common sense and on their sense of values. It doesn’t depend on their memory and oh, they have opinions.”
Arkin looks to UA to find student volunteers who possess the skills needed to work with the participants. She recruits from the honors college, the department of psychology and cognitive science, along with undergrad pre-med students. While the students are unpaid, the experience is priceless and exceeds conventional internships.
“I get applications from students who are very motivated and interested in medicine and have done a lot of volunteer work in high school,” Arkin said. “We’re getting the cream of the crop in terms of student participation.
“It’s a great credential for the students because very rarely do undergrad students get any kind of hands-on experience working with a person with a disability.”
Elder Rehab benefits the student volunteers, as well as the elder participants. Arkin knows of five former volunteers who are now practicing physicians in Arizona.
She said most students sign up for at least a year and they can establish family-like relationships with participant and their caregivers. Several students have served for three to five semesters.
Some Elder Rehab student volunteers who live in Tucson make themselves available during school breaks to provide sessions for pay. (Elder Rehab is not responsible for those private arrangements.)
One pre-med student, Srikar Kollipara, described his experience in a letter to the Tucson City Council and the UA Board of Regents. He was partnered with a man named Carl, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He described how Carl and his wife became a second family to him, teaching him patience, compassion and empathy.
“I was inspired by the strength and resilience of Carl and his wife, Carol,” Kollipara wrote.
“Regardless of how difficult times were, they never gave up on one another. As someone who is looking to get into a profession of commitment and service, seeing that bond and that undying support for one another was truly inspirational. And although I often felt powerless, I began to realize how much Carl fought for himself and for the woman he loved.”
His fight and the Elder Rehab program exercises helped him release stress and work toward putting that tension and confusion into productive means, he added.
For the first time, financial reimbursement is available through an Arizona Caregiver Coalition Lifespan Respite grant. It is available to caregivers whose joint income is less than $150,000 per year and who do not receive respite funds from other federal or state programs. For information and an application, call the Caregiver Resource Line at 1-888-737-7494 or email info@azrespite.org.
“Approved applicants have to pay upfront, but then they can get reimbursed if they submit receipts for the cost of the program,” Arkin said. “They can apply for the grant, but they don’t receive money until they produce receipts.”
Elder Rehab
For information, contact Dr. Sharon Arkin at 520-603-2912 or sharonmerlearkin@gmail.com
