Use of NeuronUP as a Working Tool at the Ciutadella Hospital Municipal Board

The technical team of the Municipal Board of L’Hospital de Ciutadella presents their 6 years of experience with the cognitive stimulation sessions of the NeuronUP tool.

Municipal Board of L’Hospital de Cuidatella

The Municipal Board

The Municipal Board is a public entity that depends on the town council of the municipality. It has a team of professionals made up of nurses, nursing assistants, a social worker, a psychologist, activity coordinators, caretakers, laundry and kitchen staff, and administrative services staff. We have external services for physiotherapy and laundry, physical activity instructors, a music therapist and a psychologist specialized in animal-assisted therapy. 

With 40 years of experience serving older adults in our municipality, we offer residential services, a day center and a service for the promotion of autonomy:

Residential service of the Municipal Board

The residential service is a permanent service providing comprehensive care, aimed at people over 55 who have reduced personal autonomy to perform basic activities of daily living (ADLs) and who require constant supervision. 

It may also include people who have a socio-family situation that requires replacement of the home and/or who lack sufficient economic resources to subsist. 

Day center service of the Municipal Board

The day center service is a daytime reception service and assistance with the basic activities of daily living (ADLs) for people with a certain degree of dependency, which facilitates the person remaining in their usual family and social environment.  

Promotion of autonomy service of the Municipal Board 

The promotion of personal autonomy service is a socio-community resource that aims to offer specialized comprehensive care to promote personal and social autonomy, and achieve healthy aging. 

Over the years we have evolved to adapt to the characteristics of each resident. Today, our mission is to provide care to older adults, to family members and to the community from biological, psychological and social dimensions, to provide well-being and quality of life. 

Adopting a person-centered perspective, we seek to know and recognize the individuality of each person, supporting their self-determination, promoting their functional independence, safeguarding their privacy and providing a meaningful life. 

What the Municipal Board’s therapies are like 

At our residence we have been dedicating our efforts for more than a decade to promoting non-pharmacological interventions, especially for our residents affected by degenerative diseases such as dementias. Examples of these interventions are gardening activities, music therapy, cognitive stimulation or animal-assisted therapy, which have been incorporated into the offerings of our center. 

Cognitive stimulation is an activity that has been promoted with the inclusion of the psychologist in the center almost 20 years ago. Within this line of work and, to give access to as many users as possible to cognitive stimulation, in 2019 we incorporated new technologies into the center. 

Estimulación cognitiva en AFA Rioja con NeuronUP

Cognitive rehabilitation with NeuronUP at the Municipal Board of L’Hospital de Ciutadella

The need to improve the cognitive functioning of our users and our aim to enhance preserved cognitive capacities and skills to try to delay the deterioration process led us to opt for a digital platform to work with. 

Choosing NeuronUP has allowed us greater flexibility to tailor the training to the needs of each resident, while providing more attractive and enjoyable activities. In addition, we have been able to extend it to a larger number of residents than with the traditional paper-and-pencil method. 

At first, those who were familiar with the traditional cognitive stimulation method began to participate. The switch to the digital method was very well received and has proved very successful. 

The novelty and the ease of working with it are remarkable. We have noticed a big difference when working with the tablet or with the computer. Lack of practice in use, especially with the mouse, makes task execution a little slower, which is why the most used method is the tablet. 

What these cognitive rehabilitation sessions with NeuronUP are like

Currently, we use the option of digital and paper activities/sessions. The former are usually carried out under supervision on a weekly basis. They include varied activities according to the cognitive function to be worked on and are short in duration. The paper sessions are given as activities to be carried out at times chosen by the residents as reinforcement.  

For the weekly individual sessions we use the digital sessions option, and we use paper-and-pencil group activities with some residents of the residence and the users of the day center.

The sessions are usually made up of three distinct activities that work on different cognitive abilities and last approximately 15 minutes. We use sessions scheduled weekly with all residents with similar abilities or we make difficulty or time adaptations depending on the user being worked with. 

Typical users who benefit from NeuronUP

Mrs. M., 95 years old and without cognitive alterations, has been a user of the program since its implementation and is delighted to use it weekly. We conduct varied sessions working on different cognitive functions. Over the years she has developed greater ease in performing the activities and it has allowed her to keep her cognitive abilities preserved. It is worth noting that she often finishes the sessions commenting that it is “very nice” to work with the program and the tablet. Having immediate results, the interaction is very satisfying.  

Mr. M., 70 years old and with a history of stroke (AVC), has also been using the program since the beginning. The weekly cognitive exercise has also allowed him to keep his cognitive abilities preserved and improve those impaired due to his underlying condition. He participates in the sessions very motivated and feels very satisfied at the end. 

Examples of a session with NeuronUP 

Example session for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with NeuronUP 

An example of a digital session for a user with mild cognitive impairment, where attention, processing speed, reasoning and planning are worked on, would be the following.

NeuronUP activities worked on in this session for MCI:

• Pocket Money, an activity aimed at working working memory, planning and shopping in which users must select the exact amount of money requested in the image.
• Count the stimuli, cards to work processing memory, sustained attention, working memory and planning. They consist of counting the number of stimuli presented.
• Actions According to Numbers, cards to train processing speed, alternating attention, inhibition and working memory. In this activity, users must perform different Actions changing according to the number. 

Example session for moderate cognitive impairment with NeuronUP 

Below is an example of a simpler session where attention and short-term memory are mainly worked on, for users with moderate cognitive impairment.

NeuronUP activities worked on in this session for moderate cognitive impairment:

• Mark the different image, cards to train processing speed and selective attention, with which users have to Mark the different image from a series. 
• Racing with Partners, an activity to work processing speed, selective attention and sustained attention. It consists of associating the elements shown on the screen as quickly as possible. 
• Remember the Names (audio), an auditory activity aimed at working episodic memory. It consists of memorizing and relating the names heard to the person they correspond to. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, most users are delighted with the use of the NeuronUP rehabilitation and cognitive stimulation platform. Not only that, but they always look forward to using it. The wide variety of exercises and their combination possibilities, the quick interaction that is created and the ease with which one can work make NeuronUP a great tool that all of us, both staff and users of the Municipal Board of L’Hospital de Ciutadella, are delighted with.

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“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
Uso de NeuronUP como herramienta de trabajo en el Patronat Municipal de L’Hospital de Ciutadella