Memory and the Aging Brain, Friday, March 21, 10:30-11:45 a.m. at John Braithwaite Community Centre. Free. 604-982-8300
North Vancouver's Gail Roxburgh is continuing to lead the charge regarding the importance of brain health as people age.
Over the last decade, the longtime North Shore fitness instructor has carved out a niche for herself, continuing to undergo training and offer programs combining fitness for both the body and brain at a host of North Shore community centres serving seniors.
Roxburgh, 71, feels being a senior herself helps community members take her message to heart. "I'm kind of in there knowing what these seniors are going through because at any time I could develop Alzheimer's," she says.
Roxburgh hopes community members will attend her upcoming free workshop, Memory and the Aging Brain, Friday, March 21, 10:30-11:45 a.m. at Lower Lonsdale's John Braithwaite Community Centre.
"Over the years, I've worked with a lot of people with Alzheimer's and dementia and what's happening now is there's not enough awareness for seniors or the baby boomers about Alzheimer's. People are getting a little bit scared that the minute they forget their keys, they're going to get Alzheimer's," says Roxburgh, who primarily works out of John Braithwaite and North Shore Neighbourhood House.
In her upcoming workshop, Roxburgh plans to discuss memory lapses that are normal age-related changes, differentiating them from the warning signs of dementia, to ease worry. These sorts of fears concern Roxburgh as she feels they could prevent people from seeking medical attention due to the stigma that is at times associated with Alzheimer's disease, preventing early diagnosis. "A lot of people think of it still as a disease they don't want people to know they've got. . . . Sometimes they think they've got it, and they might have something else that is causing memory loss. They'll think, 'I'm not going (to the doctor) because I know I've got Alzheimer's and I'm scared,'" she says.
A main goal of all Roxburgh's courses is to disseminate up-to-date findings regarding brain health, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias; for example, that there is much that can be done to preserve and sharpen mental function as people age. As well, she shares research that suggests the human brain has the potential for change and development in later stages in life.
At Friday's workshop, Roxburgh also plans to offer strategies to help participants improve their memories.
Other programs Roxburgh leads on the North Shore includes: Memory Games for Body, Balance and Brain through John Braithwaite and North Shore Neighbourhood House; and Alzheimer Society B.C.'s Minds in Motion at Mollie Nye House and West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre.
For more information, contact Roxburgh at 604-982-8330 or [email protected].
