By Suzanne Greathouse (NSC Board President)
September 2022

September is Healthy Aging Month! It’s a great time to be more mindful of your overall health, and NSC has lots of options as well as trained professionals to assist you: 1) Check out the exercise options in the NSC Catalog, 2) Grab a healthy lunch at Bothell Community Dining or 3) Hone your daubing skills – because, playing BINGO can make you healthier!

EXCITING NEWS!!!
In-person BINGO is coming back this October to the Bothell Senior Center. Please be on the lookout for more information in our Winter Catalog and in future editions of the Navigator.

6 ways BINGO can help you take better care of yourself as you age.

1. Mental Flexibility and Alertness
Since bingo is a game that requires you to be mentally focused and be aware of the numbers that you have on your card as well as what the announcer is calling, it goes without saying that it increases your mental flexibility and alertness. In fact, research has shown that bingo players have a great advantage over non-bingo players when it comes to mental speed, memory, and focus. Yes, playing bingo is also good for your memory as it requires you to remember the numbers that you pick.

2. Increased Knowledge of the Technology
We mentioned earlier that the technology enabled us to play bingo games online. Not only that, but online bingo has become far more popular than land-based bingo. By playing online bingo, people get familiar with the benefits of the technology far more. This is especially important for seniors who have trouble getting used to the modern way of living. Online bingo for seniors is available and by playing it, seniors will learn to reap the benefits of the technology, thus saving a lot of time and stress in their everyday life.

Technology had a massive impact and made our lives far easier. One of the industries that reaped the best benefits from it was the healthcare industry.

3. Increased Hand-Eye Coordination
One of the biggest difficulties that people, especially seniors, face when playing any kind of game or doing any activity that requires you to use both your sight and hands at the same time is the coordination between the two. Bingo is a game that helps you increase and master that coordination. This game is fast-paced and it requires you to mark numbers as soon as they are called. That means that you need to keep an eye on the caller, but also be prepared to use your hands to mark numbers.

4. Socialization
Socialization is one of the biggest benefits that come by playing bingo. It improves your overall mental health, confidence, self-esteem, etc. Since bingo halls are places where hundreds of people come to play the game, you can meet a lot of new friends and have a chat with them. This benefit might not be as effective with online bingo, but it is present. When playing online bingo, you can call some of your friends, have a toast, lunch, and log in to play for a reward. Of course, the point is not to play to win, but hang out with friends and have a good time.

5. Helps You Heal
You may have not known this, but bingo-based therapy is used by some centers to improve their patients’ well-being. Some hospitals even reported that hospital stays for patients who participated in this program were actually shorter than the stay for the patients that didn’t play.

By reaping all of the aforementioned benefits of playing bingo, patients stimulate their bodies and make the process of recovery much faster. There is no doubt that this benefit is one of the most important on our list.

6. Increases Happiness
Many studies have shown that playing bingo can be a massive happiness generator. It is reported that some facilities even used bingo to treat patients that suffer from depression. The only explanation for this is that while playing bingo, endorphins are released into our brain, and they make us enjoy ourselves.

There is no doubt that there are many health benefits that come by playing bingo. All you have to do is remember that you should play responsibly and out of entertainment purposes only. If you do that, you will take full advantage of the game and experience all of the aforementioned benefits. They can help you have a better life. Excerpt from: https://www.homecareassistancewinnipeg.ca

Look for this in the NSC BINGO Game in the Navigator, or ask for a card at the Front Desk.