Wits Workout® Facilitator Training-September 9, 2026

Are you responsible for leading programming for adults or older adults in a community setting? Is brain health a programming area that is of interest to you? If so, Wits Workout® is the program for you!

Drawing on brain health and aging research, University of Illinois Extension Educators Molly Hofer and Chelsey Byers developed Wits Workout, a 24-session curriculum guidebook designed for professionals or lay leaders to facilitate their own brain exercise classes. This interactive model increases socialization, reduces isolation, and promotes intellectual engagement among older clients, all of which align with current research on brain health in aging. Through interactive dialogue and experiential activities, Wits Workout can help recreation therapists, lay leaders, and volunteers help their participants maintain or adopt long-term, health-promoting behaviors through ongoing brain exercise classes.

Following training, participants will be able to:

Identify examples of how older adults can practice/implement research-identified brain health contributors
Reteach learned intellectual challenges as a programmatic approach with older adults
Provide purposeful opportunities for older adults to increase social connectedness and intellectual challenges

(Virtual outreach approaches will be addressed with this training)

Training will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, September 9, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm Central time.

Registration will close on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the end of the business day. We will not be accepting late registrations.
No other training is scheduled for 2026 at this time.

Check - Purchase Order - Invoice
If you 1) choose to mail a check, 2) need an invoice, or 3) need a PO, please download this fillable form and follow the instructions.

Mailing Questions
If you have questions about your order, contact Jack Pickert, pickert4@illinois.edu.

Program Questions
If you have questions about the program, contact Molly Hofer, hoferm@illinois.edu, and Chelsey Byers, clbyers@illinois.edu

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Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

Choose one:

Training - curriculum included ($125.00)

Training for additional staff (no curriculum needed)

If you live or work in Illinois, what county?

Agency/Organization

Were you referred by AgeGuide or AgeOptions?

Yes - AgeGuide

Yes - AgeOptions

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race

Refund Policy

All services are non-refundable.

Total Registration Cost $