LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Seniors at Sayre Christian Village are playing a classic game but with a twist. They have Bingocize events – it’s a game that gets seniors moving between number calls.
One resident, Betty J. Angel, says, "Oh, I love it because we get to do our exercise with our bingo, and we take out a number or two for our exercises and then we go back to bingo. But I love bingo, anytime."
The game was created at Western Kentucky University as a fall risk reduction program. Since then, the project has been expanded at the University of Kentucky and even brings students into this community to get the know its seniors.
UK Bingocize project director, Kylee Pipgrass, says, "This is something that the residents enjoy and that as they do these movements, they're gaining some of that mobility back, they're getting improved cognition levels, and then they get that social engagement. So really it just, it helps improve their quality of life and they're having fun again."
The UK Bingocize project's principal investigator, Dr. Melinda Ickes, says that this project promotes "Collaboration, health benefits, intergenerational social engagement, and workforce development."
Now, more than 800 residents at 27 certified nursing facilities do this. This community was the first and its activities director says she's seen a difference.
Sayre Christian Village’s activities director, Carolyne Clements, says, "I get to see from a really unique perspective how they can make friends with each other, how they can cheer each other on, how they can build each other up so that they can get stronger together — not just physically but emotionally and socially as well."
The community’s seniors get to come out, win prizes, get a guided workout, and most importantly — they get to see and laugh with one another. Angel says she'd recommend this new twist on the game to anyone.
"It's, it's beautiful and to be with the friends and do it, it's even better than ever."
