Lory Rochon
Special to the 100 Mile Free Press
It’s never too late to focus on your brain health. As we stay home more and see/socialize less often, there is more time to spend on you! Take advantage of extra time by exercising your brain. Studies show that exercising your brain helps to keep it elastic and healthy. There are many things that you can do to keep your brain active.
One simple thing you can do for your brain is to read a book! Reading a book can enhance memory, sharpen decision-making skills, reduce stress and anxiety, delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia, and help to improve your sleep. Reading also improves imagination, increases vocabulary, and offers mental relief from negative social media and news.
Games and puzzles can also provide you with a great source of mental exercise. Crosswords, word searches, math puzzles, riddles, playing card and memory games are just a few easily found options that all exercise your brain in different ways. Mix and match the games you choose to get an even better workout. You can find a large assortment of game and puzzle books in your local dollar store, or you can play many brain-stimulating games on your laptop or other devices - play live, with others or print them off to do at your leisure.
If you are a senior who struggles with reading because of low vision, there are many adaptive tools that you can use to keep you reading or playing games. Most laptops and other devices allow for enlarging the font so that you can see more easily. You can download audio books or set your device to read pdf versions of your book to you. There are also full-length audio books available to listen to on YouTube. Alternately, you could try an online reading program, like Libby or Overdrive or use an e-reader. There are literally thousands of free books available to download through the BC Library Network and they only require a library card.
For more information or to book a confidential coaching session, call Lory at 250-395-0655 or email: Lory@caribooliteracy.com
Lory Rochon is Literacy Outreach Coordinator with CCPL
:
newsroom@100milefreepress.net
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