Lee Memorial Health System brings popular Memory Classes to Bonita Springs

March 25, 2010 - PRLog -- Do you rely on lists during shopping trips or sticky notes in your car to remind you to pick up Fido from the groomer’s? Have you felt a sense of dread after washing your hands, realizing that an important name or number you’d written on them had also washed down the drain? If so, Lee Memorial Health System’s memory classes may be for you, and in April, South Lee County residents can take advantage of condensed classes in their own back yards at the Bonita Springs YMCA. A four-session series will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on April 6, 9, 13 and 16.

“Our memory classes are designed to teach participants tools and techniques to retain and remember more information,” says program coordinator Sue Maxwell. “They are part of the system’s Healthy Brain Initiative, which we started to help residents boost brain power and fight the onset of memory disorders. Since we started the classes late last year, hundreds of residents have participated and given us rave reviews. “

One such participant was Shirley Jimmerson, an 81-year-old Fort Myers resident. She learned that simply being aware and paying more attention to people and things could help power her memory. She also learned tricks to associate letters and numbers to help her remember things like phone and license plate numbers.

“We’re the only ones doing this kind of program in Southwest Florida,” Maxwell continues. “However, they are really catching on around the country. We held our initial sessions in central Fort Myers, but we’ve been able to expand around the region to match interest. We’re excited to being hosting classes down in Bonita Springs and to offer the condensed version of the class there that spreads sessions over two weeks instead of four.”

Four two-hour sessions are included in the memory class series. The cost is $20 per person, plus $10 for a class workbook. Bonita Springs YMCA members participating in the class will receive one free workbook per couple. Registration is required.

Dates:      April 6, 9, 13 and 16
Time:      9 – 11 a.m.
Location:   Bonita Springs YMCA
      27200 Kent Road, Bonita Springs, Fla. 34135
Reservations:   239-433-8505 or www.HealthyBonitaEstero.org

More information on the Healthy Brain Initiative can be found online at www.HealthyBrainFL.org.

About Lee Memorial Health System
Open since 1916, Lee Memorial Health System is the fifth largest public health system in the United States and the largest community-owned system in Southwest Florida.  With more than 9,300 employees, the system is made up of four acute care hospitals and two specialty hospitals, as well as outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers and primary care physical offices.  An award-winning health care system, it provides regional programs, such as our Trauma Center and Children’s Hospital, which serve our community members from Tampa to Miami.  Visit www.LeeMemorial.org for more information.