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Senior Times - February 2026 Page 7www.SeniorCarePartnersMI.org269.441.9319 (TTY: 711) referrals@seniorcarepartnersmi.orgFor aging adults who valueindependence, our healthcare teamsupports what matters most to thewhole you at home. Aging at home,doesn%u2019t mean aging alone.We become the Primary Care Provider,home care team, pharmacy, transportationfor medical appointments, insurancecompany, benefits coordinator, physicaltherapist and much more for ourparticipants. Medicaid, Medicare + Private Pay, and PrivatePay is accepted. PACE participants must receiveall needed health care, including primary careand specialist physician services (other thanemergency services), from the PACEorganization or from an entity authorized by thePACE organization. PACE participants may befully and personally liable for the costs ofunauthorized services orout-of-PACE program agreement services.Call today to schedule a touror a no obligation in-homeassessment to see if youqualify.269-441-9319 (TTY: 711)When you want to age atyou want us.Our senses are responsible for the way we experience the world and the way we remember our experiences. The five basic senses are touch, sight, taste, smell and hearing. We all have different sensitivity levels, and some people won%u2019t experience every sense because of illness, disability, medications, etc. Anytime we are awake and alert, we are receiving information through our senses and our brain is storing the information we are paying attention to. How long it is stored and our ability to retrieve the information is strongly influenced by how important it is and how closely we paid attention to it. Repetition also plays a factor in memory retention. If your grand mother baked chocolate chip cookies every time you visited her as a child, there%u2019s a good chance that the smell of chocolate chip cookies will conger up memories of her. The same thing happens with a song we hear, or a photograph, or a particularly soft sweater. Our senses are very good at provoking our stored memories. Generally, this is not something we have consciously made happen %u2013 we didn%u2019t consciously decide to store the smell of Grandma%u2019s cookies, our senses and brains did it for us. However, research shows that we can train ourselves to be more attuned to our senses and use them to enhance our ability to retain information. This works great for making a %u201cmental list.%u201d If you need a few things at the store but you don%u2019t have a written list, use your sense-of-choice to implant it better in your memory %u2013 say the words out loud so you hear them, or picture the items in the store, imagine holding on to it. Being intentional about implanting sensory information with your memory greatly increases the chances of recalling it. Anytime you are forming memories you are much more likely to hold onto the memory longer if you store your sensory info with it. If you are having a picnic with your grand son and you really want to hold onto that memory, be conscious of the sensory inputs around you %u2013 what is the weather, and how does that feel? What are you eating %u2013 what are the tastes and smells of the food? What are the surroundings %u2013 the sights and the sounds around you? By intentionally noting these sensory details you are much more likely to not only remember the event but remember it in detail.Consciously considering our sensory input is not always automatic, but you can hone your sensory skills by practicing. Here are a few exercises you can incorporate into your daily routine to help develop your senses:Sight: Create a simple scavenger hunt to look for particular things on your next walk. A game of eye-spy with your grand kids is fun for them and sharpens your sense of sight. Smell: Take time to smell your food before you eat it %u2013 how many different aromas are on your plate? Visit the cologne department in the store and evaluate the qualities of several different scents. Taste: Buy a variety pack of some type of food you enjoy and taste each one while closely evaluating the differences and identify what it is you do (or don%u2019t) like about each one. When you are eating alone (undistracted), take the time to focus on the different flavors of the foods. Hearing: Find a comfortable place to sit outdoors (indoors works too) close your eyes and note each different sound you hear and where it is coming from. Put on some music that you don%u2019t know (which is less distracting) and listen to the sound of each instrument, see if you can separate the sound of each one.Touch: When folding laundry, feel each garment and think about the texture and qualities of the fabric. If you have a pet, you can both enjoy exploring its fur and how it%u2019s different in places. By practicing your attention to sensory input, it will become more automatic and in the long run, it will help to improve your memory.For a great overall sensory experience, you won%u2019t want to forget, join Milestone Senior Services for cooking classes throughout the month of March. Visit us online for details and registration at MilestoneSeniorServices.org.HONE YOUR SENSES FOR BETTER MEMORY RETENTIONBy: Dale Abbott, Milestone Senior ServicesJoin us in March for Cooking Classes!Want to hone your baking skills or just have some fun with others in the kitchen? Every Thursday in March | 5 - 7:30 PMChef Jeremy will be teaching us to create and customize gourmet baked goods. These cooking classes are part of our March for Meals campaign. Cook up some fun while you support the important work we do.Register in advance:MilestoneSeniorServices.org(269)382-0515 x318