Jim Campbell has been attending the Integrative Memory Enhancement Program at Fruit Cove Baptist Church for over 3-years now. He enjoys the structured, research-based program that integrates the mind, body, and brain connections to boost cognitive reserve and minimize the progression of memory loss or dementia.
The Integrative Memory Enhancement Program is a dynamic and innovative response to memory loss, created by the Council on Aging. It is designed for use in a classroom setting.
Last December, Jim had a fall and sustained an injury. This set him back a bit and caused him to stop going to his memory enhancement classes and to the gym for about a month and a half.
He admits that he was having his own little pity party”. He tells Historic City News local reporters that word of his condition got out at Fruit Cove Baptist Church, and soon enough a nurse came to visit him. She then contacted his daughter, Debbie, with her concerns.
Jim is a US Navy veteran who served on a submarine in the South Pacific in WWII. He tells a beautiful story of how he met his wife and married her after a very short courtship, while he was on shore leave. They were then a married couple for 68 years, until her passing.
Jim has made friends with the other participants who attend the Integrative Memory Enhancement Program at Fruit Cove and he credits the program with keeping him going. He is looking forward to his 92nd birthday this month.
Jim did return to his Integrative Memory Enhancement Program classes and was glad to see his friends again. He also started back to the gym.
Debbie arranged for her father to see a doctor at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to make sure he was still capable of being on his own. A Montreal Cognitive Assessment was administered to Jim and two doctors conferred with him and gave him the good news!
They said that there is no reason for Jim to consider an Assisted Living Facility at this point in time. He is okay to continue living on his own. The doctors recommended that he continue with his Memory Program and with his workouts at the gym!
Jim refers to his daughter Debbie as his ‘lifeline’. She convinced him to give up driving a while back but now she makes sure that he gets to the gym twice a week and to his Integrative Memory Enhancement Program classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well. He doesn’t know what he would do without his daughter.
He also doesn’t know what he would do without his Integrative Memory Enhancement Program classes. He looks forward to seeing his friends each week. He cannot say enough about the COA staff facilitators, Wendy Bartlam and Jennifer Fender. He doesn’t know how they stay so upbeat. But they do! “They are always happy and helpful and truly make for a fun day. It’s lighthearted and boy do we have a lot of laughs”, said Jim. One thing is for sure, there’s no longer any time for a “pity party” in Jim’s life!
IMEP employs specific cognitive and physical exercises designed for seniors.
It is a dignified, research-based program that appeals to participants and caregivers alike. Maintaining a light-hearted atmosphere, while encouraging both authentic dialogue and social interaction are the hallmarks of each and every IMEP class.
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