Over the summer, however, he and other older adults across the island had the chance to experience something a little different from their usual routines: Bingocize®. Aptly named, Bingocize is a 12-session program that combines a game of Bingo with exercise and health education. The program has taken place so far at the Yona-Talo'fo'fo', Agana Heights, and Sånta Rita-Sumai senior centers and at the Guma’ Ginefli’e Dementia Day Care in Yigo. 

“I love it. I lost some weight,” Castro said.

Bingocize is approved as an evidence-based community falls prevention program by the Administration for Community Living agency under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Each session includes tutorials on full range of motion exercises, falls prevention education, and nutrition education. From doing full-arm rotations to checking if the lottery ball had their number on it, the participants were steady on their feet. For Castro, it was a great way to get healthy with friends.

“We’re like family here,” he said. “[We] should keep stuff like this up every other day, even if it’s just a 10-minute workout in the morning,” he said.

We all know that exercise is good for us and it is important to be healthy, but it’s really about having the opportunity and access to participate in those activities. –Tim de La Cruz, UOG Land Grant Extension Agent of Family & Consumer Science

The program came to Guam through a grant awarded by ACL to the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services Division of Senior Citizens, with the University of Guam Land Grant Extension Service as a sub-awardee. The two institutions had been collaborating to provide new healthy activities to older adults since the early 2000s, and Bingocize was another endeavor that came down the pipeline.

“Extension’s commitment is to ensure that research and expertise are accessible to the community, and that includes addressing concerns with senior citizens,” said Tim de La Cruz, a UOG Land Grant extension agent of family and consumer sciences who is facilitating the program. “We all know that exercise is good for us and it is important to be healthy, but it’s really about having the opportunity and access to participate in those activities.”

DPHSS and UOG Land Grant partnered with the Mayors Council of Guam to offer the program in the island's senior centers and with Health Services of the Pacific to offer it at the adult day care center. De La Cruz said that Bingocize supplements services that already exist within these centers while also creating and fostering a social network among their age group. Bingo is already present in most senior centers, so getting older adults into Bingocize was like connecting two jigsaw pieces together.

DPHSS and UOG are looking at continuing the program in the upcoming fiscal year with eight more cycles.

Rosita Vasapolli, vice president of the Yona/Talo’fo’fo’ Senior Center, said she can’t wait for the program to start up again. Of the few sessions she was able to attend, she had won the Bingo component of it twice.

“We’re very pleased with the exercise we’ve been getting with the program. I was so surprised. Everyone enjoyed themselves. I hope [the program] will come back here again, but I know the other centers will enjoy this,” Vasapolli said.

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This project is 100% funded by Older Americans Act Title III-D Preventive Health Evidence-Based Programs by the Administration for Community Living of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services, Division of Senior Citizens.