Keeping both the body and brain active well into mature age is vital to maintaining good cognitive and physical health. Particularly, language-based activities such as crosswords, scrabble, word puzzles and reading are all acknowledged to be important in the prevention of cognitive decline, such as dementia, including Alzheimer's.
It is also widely accepted that in cognitive aging long-term memory is stronger and more easily recalled that short-term memory. Therefore, historical fiction set in Australia during the 1920s, 30s and 40s offers mature-aged patrons a connection and sense of familiarity with the era of their youth and childhood. Providing a range of formats ensures even the visually and hearing-impaired can enjoy these stories.The inclusion of a range of sub-genres (eg. romance, mystery) caters for a range of tastes across men AND women over 65 years old.
I love your idea of Trivia questions and Name that song to be played in conjunction with the launch of your blog. Linking the rationale for such a blog with the demographics of Ryde and targeting residents of aged homes & day care centers is inspirational. If Ryde has a mobile library this would also be a neat way to promote the library to residents who are home bound.
ReplyDeleteIf you plan to expand your list, I think including famous authors during that time period would go down well, eg. Ruth Park's Muddle-headed wombat for kids. I havent read that particular book but I enjoyed Playing Beatie Bow. Children's games from that era would also be good activities to host.
I reckon growing up in that era, what we call pod casts now would be more familiar to people of that generation as radio was a big thing then and talking stories were huge. I wonder if it's possible to track down old BBC or ABC recordings?
The only book I was familiar with on your blog was Miss Fisher and that's because I first caught it on TV. I think it's because I'm not a native Australian so unfortunately even the trivia questions didn't trigger any associations. But if someone wants to learn more about historical Australia, this list is a good starting point.
Thank you for sharing such an interesting blog!
Thanks, Jackie, for your thoughts and suggestions! Trove is a fabulous resource for locating audio files (music, songs, etc) from that era and one of the large recording companies actually has a database of every song recorded in the USA since grooves were etched into records (I've just got to remember which company). The idea of games may be limited by the physical ability of participants but what a fabulous idea! Activities from a mature-aged adult's childhood could be loads of fun and so evocative for all concerned. Brilliant idea, Jackie!
ReplyDeleteI loved your idea to focus on historical Australian fiction set from the 1920’s through to the 1940’s. The stories will be familiar to baby boomers, who are now in there sixties, and likely bring back fond memories of their parents and grandparents and the lives they lived.
ReplyDeleteThe blog pictures capture the mood with grand old buildings and gardens. The material is well presented and the descriptions are brief but captivating. The selection covers romance, mystery and more, set against a background of war and post-war struggles in both city and rural communities. There is a good range of formats catering for the visually and hearing-impaired.
Overall, I loved your blog and your promotional activity. Well done!