Geriatrician Rosa López Mongil, based in Málaga, and nurse Sister Guadalupe de la Cruz have developed 'Entrenando Día a Día 2.0', a cognitive and physical stimulation method aimed at delaying dementia. The work is endorsed by the Spanish Society of Neurology and the Spanish Confederation of Alzheimer’s, among other entities.
The geriatrician Rosa López Mongil, based in Málaga, and the nurse specialised in psychiatry and nutrition Sister Guadalupe de la Cruz González have created the cognitive and physical stimulation method 'Entrenando Día a Día 2.0', as reported by Diario Sur. The aim is to delay the onset of dementia or slow its progression, including Alzheimer’s. The initiative has the endorsement and recommendation of the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), the Spanish Society of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (SEMG), the Andalusian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology, the Spanish Confederation of Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias (CEAFA), the Andalusian Institute of Neuroscience (IANEC), and the University of La Coruña.
The authors are now seeking a publisher for the eight notebooks that make up the method and are finalising its commercialisation. The new version comes after more than two years of work and is based on the experience accumulated since 2011. The method is based on functional assessment: it does not just focus on exercising memory, but aims to maintain the abilities that allow individuals to function in daily life.
“If a person has stopped doing any daily activity, we aim for them to be able to incorporate it again.”
López Mongil met Sister Guadalupe at the Doctor Villacián Care Centre, the former psychiatric hospital in Valladolid, where the doctor was the research coordinator. There, she raised with her colleague the need to provide patients with activities to assess the effect of medication. The geriatrician is the author of numerous scientific works on aging, cognitive decline, dementia, nutrition, and Alzheimer’s.
The method includes 16 instrumental and advanced activities of daily living, the ones most related to the onset of cognitive decline: reading, writing, listening to the radio, exercising, maintaining social relationships, gardening, or travelling, among others. López Mongil was a pioneer in proposing these advanced activities for functional assessment. Her scale, known as the Mongil test, was adopted by the SEMG, which developed a calculator with the scores proposed by the doctor in her thesis (0, 1, and 2).
Any person over the age of 50 can follow the method. “At 50, we should start taking care of ourselves cognitively; it’s never too late to start,” the geriatrician points out. It is also aimed at those who already have memory problems and those suffering from mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia.
López Mongil reminds us that it is possible to delay the onset of dementia, which would mean “an incredible saving of money.” According to the World Health Organization, reducing the risk by 45% is possible if protective factor recommendations are applied. “There are many risk factors, and it’s likely that every adult may have some of them, but there are protective factors: if we propose to use our factors, even if you have a very high risk of developing the disease, you can stop its onset, which is a wonderful finding,” she declares. She refers to cognitive stimulation, physical activity (walking and strength), not isolating oneself, and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits.
The method consists of eight notebooks with 32 topics related to daily life (alphabet, food, artists, hygiene, drinks, city, colours, human body, sport, cleaning, etc.). Each notebook includes four topics, and each topic contains 28 cognitive stimulation activities. All begin with physical exercise, from breathing and mobility to strength, and continue with reading, writing, art therapy, proverbs, riddles, word searches, calculation, and visuospatial orientation. The topics conclude with music therapy and the recommendation of a daily walk.
Those interested in contacting the doctor can write to rosalopezmongil@gm.
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