4 k family focus EVERY SUNDAY thru October 20 • 9am-3pm Located on N. Old Woodward just north of Booth Park. 0 Enriching Lives Now /Inn pen Corn Festival Sunday, Aug. 11 I 3 Harvest Festival Sunday, Sept. 15 P. M. Brown Center adults benefit from yoga and art classes. BIRMINGHAM //I WVII ■ Allison Batdorff and I Helayne Kaplan FARMERS*. MARKET D WI 41, ( rr Fresh Cut Flowers • Produce • Organics • Baked Goods • Kids Crafts Prepared Foods • Live Entertainment • Annuals & Perennials BirminghamFarmersMarket.org 000 Ws that kind of experience. Scott Wilson , s2r), (t) %/v Ytt.r& CONSO =MO DYNAMICLIFE ..j , e Bar e Grill 10.0PRACTIC Meadowb►ook Urgent Care .. 1SALVATORE 44i110 l' OAS STATION TV CALLOPINI. Al1151(132MEll Cakes- Cupcakes- Cookies & More!!! 248.626.9110 On the Boardwalk * 6879 Orchard Lake Rd. * West Bloomfield www.dakotabread.com Now Available: Jacks Packs 10 Custom Sandwiches, Packaged and Waiting for your next outing! *Please order 48 hours in advance. Pre-packaged happiness is finally here. Southfield: 248.352.5695 Troy: 248.677.0909 eahno artisan cookies s- ice cream 48 June 20 • 2013 JN paws AXIS www.eskimojacks.com info@eskimojacks.com 1823832 uring a recent art class, Olga Dworkin marveled at the intricate work of glass- blowing expert Dale Chihuly. Then she tried her hand at it — in plastic. "You can draw a few lines and sud- denly you have an amazing design using a variety of patterns and colors:' Dworkin explained. For those enrolled in the Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Care Program, enrichment activi- ties such as art, yoga and other pur- suits can "re-awaken" abilities blurred by dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to those who work there. There have always been such enrich- ing opportunities through Jewish Senior Life. Now, thanks to a recent gift by Bill and Audrey Farber of West Bloomfield, participants will have even more oppor- tunities. "We are so grateful to our generous donors for the opportunities they make possible for our constituents," says Carol Rosenberg, director, Jewish Senior Life (JSL) Foundation. The Brown Adult Day Care Program is a collaboration between JSL and JVS, offering music, art therapy, exercise and yoga sessions at two sites. The Farber gift doubles the frequency of the ses- sions, which now will be offered weekly. These programs engage participants on multiple levels, says Peter Ostrow, Brown Center director. As people start to lose the ability to communicate, being creative allows them to express their emotions:' he says. Creating something to admire or sell also increases self-esteem, he notes. Physical classes like yoga and tai chi hone flexibility, balance, strength, car- diovascular health and can even prevent life-altering falls. "With dementia, we're not always as aware of our physical risk or limi- tations:' Ostrow says. "Being active can help forestall the physical decline dementia and aging can engender:' Yoga therapist Marla Horwitz of Birmingham recently introduced medi- tation to her Gentle Chair Yoga class at the Brown Center, where students took off their shoes, made little 0's of their fingers and practiced deep breathing and syllabic repetition. In the silence after the sounds ceased, one could hear the "ahhhh' of relaxation — a key com- ponent to the class, Horwitz says. Yoga Therapist Marla Horwitz works with Pat Skaja on stretching his muscles. Skaja injured his back in a fall and is using yoga to learn to balance and walk again. "Yoga helps hand-eye coordination, relaxation and gets everyone moving," Horwitz says. Caregivers also participate as memory loss can create anxiety, frustration and confusion, says Lynn Medow, owner of Yoga By Design in Bloomfield Hills, who facilitates the classes. Yoga isn't a cure, but it helps people cope, she says. Just like yoga, art also can have a transformative effect on those with dementia, says Lorraine Feber of Farmington Hills, a board-certified registered art therapist who teaches art classes in the Brown program. The former science teacher creates an environment where participants' artistic sides emerge. Feber breaks each session into three parts: an introduction to a famous artist, an interactive discussion of the artwork and a hands-on exercise where students try projects of their own. Art is a great way to "re-awaken" the creative side of the brain that is often dormant, but rarely impacted by dementia, she says. Students also have fun, build self-esteem, and develop a sense of accomplishment and mastery. "Art is a language that surpasses abil- ity and disability, gender and age Feber says. "Everyone has excited smiles on their faces. They are actively involved and stimulated so they feel good men- tally, physically and socially" Brown Center Recreation Coordinator Jennifer Kellman sees the results of the enrichment programs on the expres- sions of the students leaving their class- rooms. "Everyone looks so happy and relaxed:' Kellman says. "You can see it on their faces:' ❑ For more information on the Brown Center, call (248) 661-1836. Allison Batdorff and Helayne Kaplan work for Your People LLC.