hAlt Project
Erasmus+
An educational and training program for older adults at risk of developing dementia through table tennis
Project Partners
Ten partners, including tennis clubs, sports organizations, academics and technical partners from 6 European countries (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, UK, Cyprus and Turkey) have come together to combine their expertise to raise awareness of the benefits of table tennis to the brain and older adults by engaging them to table tennis activities.
Project Aim
The aim of the hAlt project is to raise awareness on the benefits of table tennis to the brain and older adults, to engage people with or at risk of developing Alzheimer’s or Dementia in table tennis activities, and to offer specialized training while at the same time monitoring their table tennis activity levels and bio signals through wearables and an associated gamification application.
Project Description
Table tennis is one of the most engaging activities for the brain, suitable for older adults. It is a fast moving, competitive activity which positively affects physical fitness levels, improves sustained attention and enhances the development of visuospatial skills. It has been proved through research that table tennis can be effectively used as a prevention and rehabilitation program for people suffering from or at risk to develop Alzheimer’s and dementia since it simultaneously activates up to five different sections of the brain.
The project will raise awareness by empowering local communities and sports stakeholders to create specialized table tennis programs and events as well as establishing a local community of practice.
People with or at risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia will be trained by certified coaches in each country, to establish good knowledge of the sport and participate in table tennis sports events.
A wearable device (e.g. smartwatch) will be programmed to capture progress in the sport(movements, speed, rotation, heart rate etc.)while the data from these devices and overall progress will be available to the beneficiaries to engage them further and attract more peers by sharing these in social media but also to research organizations as open data.
Last but not least, voluntary activities with table tennis athletes will be promoted to learn about Alzheimer’s or Dementia and to be able to communicate and play games with them effectively.
Main Objectives
Objective #1
To attract older people in table tennis activities, especially those at risk of Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Objective #2
To improve long term memory and decrease brain deterioration in people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Objective #3
To delay the appearance of the disease
Objective #4
To break down barriers and bring people together from 6 European countries with common goals
Objective #5
To train physical education teachers or table tennis coaches to train individuals with Alzheimer’s or Dementia in table tennis
Objective #6
To increase the spirit of volunteerism among young athletes and young people in general, regarding their contribution to training people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia in table tennis