SAN FRANCISCO, CA — As National Library Week draws to an end, most physical library doors are closed due to COVID-19. Yet, libraries across America have kept their digital operations open to the public, promoting digital services as never before. As you might expect, such services include streaming of books, movies, and magazines, but also some unexpected wellness programs that can be especially useful these days, such as the brain fitness program BrainHQ from Posit Science.
“I’ve had a love affair with my public library at every stage of life and place I’ve lived,” said Dr. Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science. “The library has always been there for me and my family with free access to things I need. We are delighted to see increased use of BrainHQ in these times when maintaining brain health is so important.”
At hundreds of local public libraries, patrons can access a subscription to BrainHQ without entering the library or paying subscriber fees, because their libraries have licensed BrainHQ for the whole community.
“Given the stay-home order, we’re all experiencing a loss of activities that provide the cognitive stimulation we need to stay sharp,” Dr. Mahncke observed. “We need to find activities that drive new learning, such as learning a language or how to play a musical instrument or a new hobby or craft, or, of course, using brain exercises to stretch brain performance, such as BrainHQ.”
BrainHQ is just one of many digital services being promoted by libraries for access from home. Some popular services being promoted at libraries that offer BrainHQ include: streaming books, movies, TV shows, and music on Hoopla; digital and audio books from RB Digital; digital versions of popular magazines from Flipster; language lessons from Mango Languages; and learning new crafts on CreativeBug.
“It’s great to see libraries all over – in Sterling, Michigan; Garland, Texas; Wayne, Nebraska; Oyster Bay, New York; East Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Tucson, Arizona; to name just a handful – promoting digital services on their websites, Facebook pages, and local media,” Dr. Mahncke added. “The current situation may advance digital services in libraries in the same way it is accelerating use of remote services in healthcare.”
In addition to hundreds of public libraries, BrainHQ is also available without charge to active-duty and retired military through military libraries and Military OneSource.
More than 100 published studies of BrainHQ exercises have shown benefits across varied populations, including gains in standard measures of cognition (attention, speed, memory, executive function, social cognition), in standard measures of quality of life (mood, confidence and control, managing stress, health-related quality of life), and in real world activities (gait, balance, driving, everyday cognition, maintaining independence). BrainHQ is offered, without charge, as a benefit by leading Medicare Advantage plans; by the Department of Defense for all servicemembers; and by hundreds of clinics, libraries, and communities. Anyone can try BrainHQ for free at https://dev-bhq.pantheonsite.io.