Avamere at Oak Park, an assisted living community in Roseburg, Oregon, is thrilled to announce the launch of weekly sign language classes. The classes will be held weekly on Thursdays beginning this month.
Why sign language?
For this senior 55+ assisted living community, sign language can have many benefits. When Jennifer Shaw, Community Relations Director for Avamere at Oak Park, discovered how learning sign language could be beneficial for seniors, she sprung into action.
“We pride ourselves on keeping our residents active and their brains sharp,” she notes. “Beginning a program like learning sign language seemed like an interesting and different way to engage our community and enhance the lives of our residents.”
The benefits of learning sign language
One of the main benefits of learning sign language is meeting new friends and people. This class will give residents at Avamere at Oak Park the chance to meet neighbors they didn’t know and build new friendships.
Another advantage to learning sign language is enhancing cognitive functioning. Studies have shown that becoming bilingual inherently fosters cognitive function. Making sure mental abilities are sharp can help with memory, learning, reasoning, and thinking, especially for the assisted living residents at Avamere at Oak Park.
Join in on the fun
Sign language classes at Avamere at Oak Park will be held in their activity room every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend. This class will focus on basic signing skills, so beginners are encouraged to participate.