Community Members Train Their Brains with Right at Home

In the midst of fall, Right at Home of Essex County visited Jewish Community Housing in West Orange. As the weather got colder and scarves and autumn sweaters came out for the season, Joanna and Matt from the team led a conversation with the residents about how to warm up their brains!

The two Right at Home team members spoke about ways to help preserve brain health with age. While the presentation began with some quick tips about nutrition, sleep, exercise and risky behaviors, it quickly became interactive, with the Jewish Community Housing residents going around the room and guiding Joanna, Matt and one another in their own favorite chair-based exercises.

Soon, the Right at Home team pulled out brain games to put attendees’ memories to the test. While the group began with an exercise to name states, this advanced into recalling popular idioms. An even bigger challenge came when the community was presented with movie quotes and asked to remember which movie they came from. The participants passed with flying colors!

The event concluded with an activity giving each attendee a memory task, reaching into a box to randomly pick out a question. Questions included, “what did you want to be when you were growing up”, “what was your first job” and “who have been some of your heroes”. Ultimately, the impact of the event was two-fold. As participants jogged their memories and learned tips and tricks to keep their brains in tip top shape, they also built community, getting to know through sharing laughs, opinions, stories and ideas for a healthier brain.