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Did you know there’s a special exercise program specifically for U.S. veterans 65 and older? 

It’s called Gerofit, and it started at the Veterans Affairs office in Durham, North Carolina, in 1986.

In 2012, the program began to become more popular after a demonstration was released on a DVD. Currently, more than 30 VA centers offer the program to their older veterans. 

It’s also now available to veterans at the Baltimore VA — and there’s a study under way to see if this type of exercise might help not just the body, but the brain, too. 

“There’s a lot of evidence that exercise is good for us, especially as we age. Now there’s information that exercise may also help with cognition, so that’s specifically what this study is looking at,” said Dr. Cathy Lee, the study’s principal investigator.  

“The population is aging, so the rate of dementia is increasing, and exercise might help with that, since there aren’t other treatments,” Lee added. 

Veterans are at a higher risk of dementia due to the fact many have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury. In fact, veterans have two to five times the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia compared to the general population. 

“Veterans have comorbidities like PTSD that may increase their risk [of dementia] further,” Lee said. “We want to see what the impact [of exercise is] for older veterans, specifically on cognition.” 

Volunteers are being sought 

Veterans over 65 are eligible for the study. Lee’s team will conduct a physical and cognitive assessment on the first day and will repeat those tests after three months and after a year. 

One randomized group will meet to take health classes; the other will meet two or three days a week at the VA Medical Center on Greene Street in downtown Baltimore for supervised Gerofit exercises. 

“The exercise sessions are individualized. Depending on your ‘prescription,’ you might be there for half an hour or an hour,” Lee said. 

Lee admires veterans and hopes that more will step forward to join the study. 

“Veterans really want to give back, and they have already given. If they participate in this study, they will contribute to knowledge about how exercise can impact cognition.” 

For more information or to volunteer, call (443) 421-5833 and mention COG or Gerofit.