Exercise and games are part of the program at the Memory Innovations Centre
Seniors living life to the full! By Debra Vermeer Depending on what day you drop into CatholicCare Broken Bay’s Memory Innovations Centre in Waitara you might see seniors dancing, navigating their way through technology, or engaging in mindfulness and brain-training exercises, but one thing’s for sure, you’ll definitely see them having fun. The Memory Innovations Centre opened its doors last January, and despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gathering together, the Centre has proved to be extremely popular. “The Centre was established by CatholicCare to meet the needs of older people who may be noticing changes in their memory, or who have been recently diagnosed with dementia or who may simply want to be proactive in their brain health,” says Michelle Dickson, Team Leader and Senior Specialist at the Memory Innovations Centre. The professionally-run programs which combine science and social activity, focus on having fun, connecting with others, stimulating 14 /
the brain and using emerging technologies. Programs include dance, art, exercise, food preparation, mindfulness and relaxation, brain training, and navigating technology.
outcomes for our clients and we operate in a dementia-friendly environment, where the space is orderly and well signposted.”
“All of the programs have been popular, including our new Navigating Technology program,” says Michelle.
Many of the Centre’s clients enjoy it so much that they attend more than one class and for those who may not wish to go onsite due to COVID vulnerability, programs are available online, with appropriate support.
“The aim is to help seniors to use technology to assist in their daily lives – things like Zoom catch-ups with family or buying groceries or using the MyGov website or the My Aged Care portal.
“Our clients are absolutely lovely,” says Michelle. “Most of them stayed with us during COVID when we had to go online, and now it’s great to have a lot of them back in person.
“With COVID, some clients have been quite isolated from loved ones who couldn’t come to visit because of infection vulnerability, so Zoom and smart phone technology has been really important in keeping up that family and social contact.”
“One of our goals is to introduce people to each other in the local community, so it’s been really encouraging to see the clients exchanging phone numbers and catching up socially outside the program.
Michelle says the programs are based on science and directed by highly qualified staff with experience in aged care and dementia care services. “We use research and innovative tools, such as tablets and virtual reality devices, to get the best
“All of the programs have been well received and we’ll be soon be starting to run some programs on the Central Coast at Connectability in Erina too.” One happy client is Maria Schilt, who says that at “87 years young”, she loves the programs on offer at the Memory Innovations Centre.
