PANAMA CITY, FL. (WMBB) — In March, the Bay County Council on Aging started some new classes to help improve clients’ cognitive skills.
The classes are part of the Council’s Brain Health Program that started 2 years ago. The program was built to help people who struggle with memory loss. Around 7 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease. Two thousand of them are in Bay County. In the class, clients engage in activities such as ping-pong and the Smart-Fit board. Brain Health Coordinator Lynn McCrory says the results are mind-boggling.
“The statistics show that every person and that is phenomenal for me to say because the data shows that every person that has been through the brain health program has significantly improved,” said McCrory.
The council is currently conducting its 5th class. At the beginning of the 6-week period, clients are tested. The normal reaction time is around 6 seconds. By the end of the class, the average reaction time drops to just 1 second. McCrory says the games hook them in.
“It’s really interesting to see that once they play the first round of the games, they’re hooked because they don’t even realize that it is in the perspective that they’re actually improving or working toward the improvement of their cognitive and motor skills because they’re having so much fun interacting with the system,” said McCrory
If you are interested Bay County Council on Aging Operation Officer Andrea Marsh says, there is a small fee to attend.
“It’s $100 for the six-week program. We do provide lunch every day that we have the program going. If somebody is unable to afford that, then we can talk to them about some other arrangements.”
The next class starts on November 7th and ends on December 14th, but there is a waiting list. For more information click here.
