March 11-17 is dedicated as Brain awareness week. The Brain Awareness Week campaign unities families, schools, and communities in a worldwide celebration of the brain.The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiative founded the now- global campain in 1996.
Great Bend Pilot Club advances Pilot International’s goal to protect the brain through education and research. BrainMinders is Pilot International’s signature program origionally designed in 2001 to teach safety to chilren to help prevent brain injuries. Realizing there was a need to teach brain prevention to people of all ages, Pilots have expanded the program to include presentations for youth and seniors. One of these presentations is Brain-O Bingo for Seniors. Great Bend Pilots decided to support brain awareness by introducing Brain-O Bingo to four senior health facilities is in Great Bend, Great Bend Health and Rehabilitation Center, Riverbend, Medicalodge and Brookdale.
Instead of calling out bingo numbers the call-cards have a safety picture with a written safety tip on the card such as, a picture of a walking cane with a safety tip of “if you need a walking cane to walk independently, make sure you have one that will not slip on the floor.” Another example is a call-card with a picture of eyeglasses under the R heading. The safety tip reads: “if you wear eyeglasses, keep them clean so you can see better to prevent accidents and keep them in a designated safe place where you can easily find them.” Frequently Pilots give you a story or example of what happens if the safety tip is not followed. If the picture called is found on your card, you place a marker. Markers in a straight line up & down, across or diagonal give you a bingo. An owl picture in the center is like the free space on a regular bingo card.
On March 15, 2019 James, a resident at Great Bend Health & Rehabilitation Center, played Brain-O Bingo with Pilot Club. Note the pictures on his card instead of numbers.
On March 19, 2019 Great Bend Pilots Sally O’Connor & Norma Ward assist residents at Great Bend Health & Rehabilitation with Brain-O Bingo. Janice Walker calls out the picture on the call-card and gives the appropriate safety tip that matches the picture.
On March 22 Great Bend Pilots Renee Johnson, Joyce Fry, Janice Walker, and Darlene Mathers assist residents at Riverbend with Brain-O Bingo. Jari Marietta calls out the picture on the call-card.
Medicalodge residents play BrainO Bingo.
Pilot member Donna Kimber assists residents at Mediclodge. play Brain O Bingo.
On March 27, Pilot Club members assist Brookdale residents play Brain-O Bingo. Members are Betty Schneider, Janice Walker, Barbara Watson, Marilyn Kopke and Carol Hawk and Daniel Watson in the back.
Brookdale residents play Brain O Bingo.