Bingocize®, an evidence-based senior wellness program created by WKU faculty member Dr. Jason Crandall, continues to grow in popularity and will soon be offered in 60 nursing homes in South Carolina. Faculty at Winthrop University in Rock Hill have been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Civil Money Penalty Grant for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that will allow them to oversee Bingocize® and train over 300 nursing home staff members to use the program.

Dr. Crandall, Western Kentucky University Center for Applied Science in Health & Aging (CASHA) Co-Director, and CASHA will work with Winthrop University faculty member Joni Boyd, as well as faculty partners from Coastal Carolina and Anderson, to bring Bingocize® to the nursing homes across the state of South Carolina over the next three years.

"Combined with previous CMS funding for Bingocize® projects in Alabama and Mississippi, CMS has awarded over $5.6 million in funding to implement Bingocize® in certified nursing homes,” said Dr. Crandall. “We are excited to work with our colleagues at Winthrop University to continue expanding the reach of Bingocize® with the goal of improving the quality of life for thousands of nursing home residents.”

“This grant will have a far-reaching impact in our state,” Boyd said. “We are excited to bring an evidence-based falls prevention program to South Carolina, particularly one that has been very successful within nursing homes in other states. It also allows the students and faculty from the exercise science program to engage and serve members of an underserved population of our community. Combining a very popular game of bingo with gentle exercises increases the interest and participation from the residents.”

For more information about Bingocize® being offered by Winthrop University to South Carolina nursing home residents, click here.

About Bingocize®: Dr. Jason Crandall, Associate Professor in the WKU CHHS School of Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport, created Bingocize®, a socially engaging group-based program that combines exercise, health education, and the widely popular game of bingo.  Successfully tested by a research team, Bingocize® found over 90% of older adults were retained over the course of a 10-week program and they significantly improved physical, social, and mental health.  Bingocize® is delivered live by a trained lay leader either face-to-face or using web-based Bingocize® Online.  With critical endorsements from the United States Administration for Community Living and Department of Agriculture, Bingocize® offers licenses, online training, program materials and equipment, and merchandise to nursing homes, assisted living, senior centers, and hospital trauma centers across the US and the world.

The Bingocize® program consists of two 45–60-minute sessions each week. A session begins with a group of Certified Nursing Facility (CNF) residents sitting at tables with individual bingo cards. Trained CNF staff members, with help from trained university students, serve as program leaders. The residents complete a series of gentle physical exercises followed by the program leader calling a bingo letter/number combination. Exercises focus on improving components of functional mobility such as strength, range of motion, and balance. For more information about Bingocize®, visit www.wku.edu/bingocize

About CASHA: The WKU College of Health and Human Services launched the Center for Applied Science in Health and Aging (CASHA) in 2018. The center identifies, develops, and mobilizes social and health innovations in applied research by enhancing well-being, performance, and functioning in the aging community. For more information about CASHA, visit www.wku.edu/casha