Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LANETT — Since the first of July, participants in the Lanett Senior Center have been enjoying twice-a-week sessions of Bingocize. As the name suggests, it’s a combination of bingo and exercise.

Jennifer Carlisle comes to Chambers County two days during the week to lead the sessions, first in Lanett and later on in LaFayette. She will be directing Bingocise classes at Valley Senior Center at some point in the future. The sessions are funded by a grant from the East Alabama Area on Aging.

“On the days Jennifer comes to lead these classes we have a packed house,” said Lanett Senior Center Manager Sandra Thornton.

“Our seniors absolutely love it! They can win prizes playing bingo and in between the games take part in exercise sessions.”

The program combines health education and exercises centered around fall prevention in older adults. The program lasts for 10 weeks with two sessions per week. And as everybody knows, you can’t have bingo without prizes.

The prizes are items the seniors can definitely use and are excited about winning.

“Jennifer is so good at suggesting ways the seniors can improve their health,” Thornton said.

It’s widely known that daily exercise can help prevent chronic diseases and falls in older adults. Unfortunately, less than 15 percent of older adults exercise regularly which leads to inactivity and related health issues.

Bingocize mixes exercise, health education and bingo in sessions that usually last between 45 and 60 minutes.

Evidence shows that there are social, cognitive and physical improvements from doing Bingocize, and of course, the best part is that it’s fun and provided at no cost to the senior.

The sessions are being offered by senior centers throughout the 10-county area served by the East Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission, Anniston.

These counties include Chambers, Tallapoosa, Coosa, Randolph, Clay, Talladega, Calhoun, Cleburne, Cherokee and Etowah. The program is also supported by the Alabama Elderly Nutrition Program.

Regular exercise on the part of seniors has been shown to:

4Improve upper and lower body strength, ways of walking, balance and range of motion;

4Improved mental ability;

4Increased social engagement, and

4Improved knowledge of falls risk reduction and other important health topics.