PREventing cognitive decline through Physical Activity and Rehabilitation Exercises

ongoing

Building on the successful AGELESS Erasmus+ Sport project, dedicated to sport and physical activities tackling the risks of premature physical and body ageing of persons with disabilities or physical impairments, PREPARE aims at identifying and disclosing at European level innovative sport programs to prevent also cognitive decline of frail adult people, more exposed to the risks of dementia or neurocognitive disorders. It is indeed of paramount importance that older adults engage in regular physical activity to preserve their cognitive functioning, together with appropriate dietary and healthy habits. Concretely implementing the EU Commission Mental Health Strategy and the EU Work Plan for Sport, PREPARE will design and offer innovative “sport and cognitive training” programmes leveraging from the daily fieldwork of European project partners (for instance from keep-fit exercises, jogging, Nordic walking to pétanque, running and rhythmic gymnastics), using physical activity and rehabilitation exercises to increase performance in working memory and cognitive flexibility. Partners will therefore promote at European level sport-specific plans with cognitive components that positively impact the decision-making, attention and perception abilities of adult persons. PREPARE will give another concrete evidence of the unparalleled global reach of sport as powerful platform that can be used to address many societal challenges, particularly the cognitive decline risks of a European ageing population in a wartime and climate changing world. A cycle of 3 transnational workshops will involve trainers, sports staff, healthcare professionals from the PREPARE consortium, which includes a new partner from Italy. The main project outputs are an Informative Guide on sport and cognitive training programmes and an awareness raising Protocol on the benefits of physical activity and cognitive functioning exercises.