Participating in brain stimulating activities is essential to those dealing with Alzheimer's disease.

But due to problems moving around or a lack of nearby resources, many Kentuckians needing memory care haven't had access to the help they need.

Brain health activities is an online library of activities from the UK.

Sandra Brown Center on Aging that brings hours of content into the home so dementia patients and caregivers can have fun and improve brain health at the same time.

More on this groundbreaking program and tonight's medical news.

What if you have a loved one who's developing memory problems or you're developing memory problems yourself and you're in the middle of Hartland, Kentucky?

Well, is there a senior program for activities?

Is there a day program for people with mild memory problems?

And for many of our counties, the answer is no.

There aren't those resources.

And so really seeing that need is what prompted us to begin thinking in this direction.

So brain health activities is a program that is a library of activities for persons with dementia early to moderate stage dementia can participate in along with their caregivers.

And we hope that people anywhere can utilize the activities or that might ignite some ideas that you might have that you hadn't thought, Oh, this might be something I can do with my loved one with dementia.

For today's video, we are going to be painting some impressionistic dandelions.

We have two different tracks.

There are 12 episodes in each and they range anywhere from about 20 minutes to a whole hour.

And so there are usually 2 to 3 activities within those episodes, followed by all kinds of research that is important about why we picked the activities that we did.

For instance, why is exercise good for you or stretching?

What does that do for your brain?

If we're unsure stimuli aided in the nerve cells are not passing along signals from one nerve cell to the other, then those synapses, the connection between those nerve cells actually withers, dies and can be lost permanently.

Forever.

Brain stimulating activities builds that strength and gives us a way biologically.

So it's not just the activity, it's not just use it or lose it.

It's actually building biological brain health.

We have modifications that are illustrative.

You know, how can you adapt the activities for your stage that your loved one is in?

But we also have included caregiver tips and also self-care tips for the person that has early dementia.

We hear from caregivers, family members and friends and all they want to do is sit in front of the television set.

I don't know what to do with them.

I don't know what they're able to do.

And the activity program gives them ways to think about activities that they do together.

Over time, we've begun to see that that initial vision of reaching out and helping folks just in rural areas is really only the tip of the iceberg, because we have folks that may live in Lexington or in Louisville and there may be a memory care center right down the street, but the cost may be prohibitive for many families.

And for our seniors that are on a fixed income.

And so this is a free resource that's been put together.

And if we can help one person promote their brain health, avoid or slow the progression or onset of Alzheimer's disease, the program's a success.

The Brain health activity site launched July 1st.

It's received more than 2000 visitors since then.

Dr. Gyourko, who you just saw, says the next step is expanding content for those in the late stages of dementia.