Your brain at work!
Your brain at work! is a program inspired by the Quebec program Musclez vos meninges, which was created by a team from the Cavendish health and social services center with the support of the Center for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology. A study showed the importance of working your brain in order to optimize your old age in terms of health and mentality.
This program is composed of a series of workshops of 1 hour and 30 minutes which address different themes: the brain, physical activity, diet, support for a good social network, relaxation and the maintenance of good mental health. The principle is to adopt this healthy lifestyle which will have a positive impact on shaping our brain. For seniors, this helps prevent the risks of degenerative diseases such as: dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, etc …
In 2016, the Charles-Émile-Claude Center applied to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding to fund intellectual vitality workshops for people aged 50 and over in Cornwall.
In 2017, the project was led by a coordinator from 2017 to 2019. During this period, we implemented more than 19 workshops reaching over 290 participants. We were able to train over twenty volunteer trainers who deliver the workshops in the Eastern Ontario region.
Currently, we have more than five centers that offer workshops in Eastern Ontario: Center Charles-Émile-Claude, Center Pauline-Charron, Club de joie de vire 50+, MIFO and Rendez-vous des Aînés Francophones of the Francophonie. In 2020, the project was nominated for the Franco-Ontarian Horizon award from the French-speaking Assembly of Ontario.