Submitted by the San Juan Island Library

The San Juan Island Library is offering a workshop on using iPad-based applications for people with memory issues. The workshop will take during Memory Café on Tuesday, August 15 at 2:00 pm. Coloring pages, kaleidoscopes games, matching and concentration exercises can be relaxing and enriching entertainment for people with memory issues as well as their caregivers. Participants with no computer experience can experience delight just by swiping a finger to create a beautiful kaleidoscope image.

Those with more experience and dexterous ability may enjoy the opportunity to try drawing with iPad and iPencil; others may wish to try Lumosity games for memory training and fun, or play a digital geometric game. In addition, the Library will have a virtual reality headset with which program participants can experiment. Virtual reality enables the user to feel they are actually on a trip to the sea shore or on a roller coaster while they are safe with caregivers.

The program is open to people with memory issues and their caregivers.

Memory Café events take place each third Tuesday of the month in the library meeting room, featuring slides shows, musical events, arts and literature, and activities that can be enjoyed by all. The library also has a diverse collection of materials about the research into how the brain and memory works, as well as information for caring for people with dementia. A bibliography of library materials is available.

Library cards are free of charge to islanders with proof of residency. In addition to its collections of materials to loan, the library also provides public access computers and WiFi. Library hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.