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[For Seniors] Let's try customizing the usual Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises!
It seems that many senior care facilities incorporate the “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises” before meals and at other times.
These are important oral exercises for older adults, using the mouth and tongue while vocalizing “pa, ta, ka, ra.”
The “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises” help prevent aspiration and support enjoyable conversation through training the muscles around the mouth.
However, doing the same routine over and over can start to feel monotonous.
So let’s try a modified version of the “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises”!
This time, we’ve gathered ideas with creative twists, such as adding hand claps or turning it into a parody song.
We hope older adults can enjoy their oral exercise time as well.
[For Seniors] Let's try customizing the usual PaTaKaRa exercises! (1–10)
Arranged in a reggae style! Patakara exercises
This is an arrangement of a classic articulation exercise—spoken quickly and clearly—that incorporates a reggae rhythm.
It blends the fun of musical rhythm while keeping strong focus on how to pronounce each character.
By proceeding step by step through the repeated pronunciation of the same character, it clearly conveys how each character helps shape mouth movements.
If participants sway their bodies to catch the rhythm, it can also become a full-body warm-up, not just an exercise for the mouth.
Patakara Oral Exercises – Blue Mountains
We’d like to introduce the Pataka-ra exercises performed to the familiar song “Blue Mountains,” well known among older adults.
Pataka-ra exercises are one of the standard training methods to prevent aspiration; by strengthening the mouth and tongue, they aim to maintain and improve oral functions such as eating and swallowing.
They’re easy to do—simply pronounce “pa,” “ta,” “ka,” and “ra” in time with the music.
Doing them before meals, in sync with the music, helps you enjoy your food and supports healthy living.
They’re also recommended as oral exercises in senior care facilities.
Patakara Towel Catch Exercise
https://www.tiktok.com/@rizumicalgass/video/7042687706400296193Here is an idea for doing the Patakara exercise using a towel.
The Patakara exercise involves pronouncing the four syllables “pa,” “ta,” “ka,” and “ra” to engage the muscles of the mouth and tongue, helping to train the functions used for eating and swallowing.
In this version, you step in place while gripping and releasing a towel in time with the Patakara sounds.
This exercise is expected to benefit not only oral functions but also the maintenance and improvement of lower-limb strength and the prevention of falls.
The action of grasping and releasing helps build the quick, reflexive gripping power needed to catch yourself if you start to fall, which in turn supports a healthy daily life.
It’s easy to do and highly recommended.
Patakara exercise: Theme from Shoten
For older generations, the TV show “Shōten” is a familiar favorite.
Here’s an idea for enjoying Patakara exercises using the Shōten theme song.
It’s very simple! Just make the four sounds “pa,” “ta,” “ka,” and “ra” in time with the music.
That’s all it takes, yet it can help maintain and improve your ability to eat and swallow, and the act of inhaling and exhaling can also benefit the respiratory system.
If you can, try opening and closing your hands repeatedly at the same time.
Doing multiple activities simultaneously creates a “dual-task,” which may help prevent cognitive decline.
It’s fun, easy to do, and highly recommended.
Hand and mouth Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra exercises
We would like to introduce ideas for the Patakara exercises, which allow you to care for your mouth and get some exercise while seated in a chair.
By pronouncing “pa,” “ta,” “ka,” and “ra” while performing full-body movements, these exercises are highly efficient, benefiting not only your physical function but also helping to maintain and improve oral function.
In addition, because you perform two actions simultaneously—movement and pronunciation—the increased positive stimulation to the brain is expected to help prevent cognitive decline.
It may feel complicated at first, but please try it slowly at your own pace.
Convert “Furusato” with the Patakara method
The song “Furusato” is a school song every Japanese person knows.
This time, we’d like to share an idea for a Patakara exercise using this song.
It’s very simple to do: just replace all the lyrics with the sounds pa-ta-ka-ra and sing.
Because you sing in the order of pa-ta-ka-ra, there’s no need to memorize the lyrics, and since it’s a familiar tune for everyone, you don’t need any equipment and can do it anywhere.
By adding a little twist to your usual exercise, you can participate with a fresh feeling while keeping the same benefits.
Give it a try!
Pa-ta-ka-ra pistol exercise
The “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra” exercises are said to be effective for maintaining and improving oral function, but even if they work, some people might feel bored after a while.
For those people, we recommend the “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra Pistol Exercise.” Shape your hand like a gun and, as if shooting bullets, say “Pa! Ta! Ka! Ra!” loudly while adding the corresponding movements.
You can also try other variations, such as saying “Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra!” in a short burst like firing a bullet, or continuing with “Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!” like a machine gun.
Whatever you do, it’s more effective when you enjoy it rather than doing it on autopilot, so this is a great option if you want to change things up from your usual routine.