[SeniorTaskForce-News] Senior Odyssey Looking for Participants

[Jennifer Kapolnek]

A research program with the potential to provide both intellectual  
stimulation and social engagement for older adults who may not be  
socially active, is currently recruiting participants for the next  
cycle scheduled to begin in September.  Senior Odyssey, funded by the  
National Institute on Aging, is a fun and engaging program where  
participants work with other older adults to solve puzzles and  
creative problems.  We are examining the effects of these mental  
activities on cognition.

Eligible participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups.  
Some participants are grouped in teams of seven and meet weekly at  
Lincoln Square for 1½ hours over a span of 16 weeks.  Undergraduate  
coaches help them work on solving a long-term creative problem and  
spontaneous problems that require “think on your feet” solutions.    
Another group of participants work at home to solve weekly puzzle  
packets.  Some participants may get randomly assigned to the wait- 
list group and will not be able to participate in the activities  
until the next season.

All participants are paid $50 for cognitive testing at the beginning  
and then again at the end of the program.


To be eligible, participants must be age 60 or over, and involved in  
less than 15 hours per week of volunteer or other employment.


If you think this program would benefit older adults with whom you  
are in contact, we can send you informational brochures to  
distribute.  We also have informational open houses at the Senior  
Odyssey storefront at Lincoln Square throughout the summer.  For more  
details about the program or the information sessions, please contact  
Jennifer Kapolnek, Assistant Program Coordinator, at 244-3945 or  
email: kapolnek at illinois.edu.

Thank you,

Jennifer Kapolnek

----
Jennifer Kapolnek
Assistant Coordinator
     Adult Learning Lab
     Interactive Cognition Lab
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology
The University of Illinois
405 N. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL  61801

E-mail:  kapolnek at illinois.edu
Phone:  217-244-3945
The Adult Learning Lab (TALL) Website:  http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/all/




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