Goodwin Living Grows Memory Care Program Backed By Years Of Cognitive Research

Non-profit senior living provider Goodwin Living is continuing to grow the brain health program it developed and honed in recent years.

The genesis of StrongerMemory dates back to 2011, when CEO Rob Liebreich noticed his mom was repeating herself and getting lost in familiar situations. He reviewed brain health research from Japan that found conducting simple daily tasks like reading aloud or basic numeracy led to signs of cognitive improvement. The result in 2021 was the first StrongerMemory pilot. Today that pilot has bloomed into an open-source and freely accessible program of 30-minute cognitive exercises aimed at improving brain health.

Goodwin Living’s program is based on research from Tohoku University neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima, the creator of the “Brain Age” cognitive training games on the Nintendo DS.

StrongerMemory tasks include reading aloud, writing by hand and completing basic math skills to engage and stimulate the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The Alexandria, Virginia-based senior living provider collaborated with an occupational therapist to establish a curriculum for assisted living and memory care residents.

A 2021 independent review of the data flowing from StrongerMemory shows the program is bearing fruit. Fairfax, Virginia-based George Mason University and other groups collected pre- and post-test data indicating that 76% of the 862 older adults in the program reported signs of improved cognition after three years of using it.

Overall, StrongerMemory has reached over 75,000 older adults since the pilot launched in 2021, Liebreich noted.

The results of the program have been repeatedly backed by research. For example, a Maryland Department of Aging pilot reported 89% participant satisfaction and 64% improved brain health. A 12-week George Mason University study, part of a national Alzheimer’s grant, found that combining StrongerMemory with social interaction yielded the best results, with more math practice specifically correlating to higher cognitive gains. By 2023, follow-up data showed that active users maintained these improvements, while even those who stopped the program retained higher scores than their baseline.

“These are simple tools we know can work well, so we validated that,” Liebreich said.

The StrongerMemory program can be adapted to meet many settings that older adults live in, from at-home with access at a growing number of public libraries, to in senior living and nursing care settings.

Having the program be free and accessible is an important component of StrongerMemory, Liebreich said, noting that it is the organization’s intention to “keep it that way” to allow as many older adults to use the program as possible, Liebreich said.

To make the program accessible to all, Goodwin Living had the curriculum translated into eight different languages. While the program is not a cure, the StrongerMemory program “gives people a sense of hope and a curated direction.”

Goodwin Living has met with leaders from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss getting StrongerMemory to more older adults. Those conversations remain fluid, and Liebreich said expanding the program will be crucial for adoption at a wider scale, whether through state or federal initiatives.

Partnerships are also a key part of the momentum for StrongerMemory, and Liebreich sees its relationship with George Mason University as vitally important to the overall program given the university’s focus on nonpharmacological interventions in brain health.

In the future, Liebreich said the senior living industry should recognize the “multifaceted realities” of memory care language, shifting the sector to use terminology like dementia care rather than memory care.

The StrongerMemory program has helped evolve the organization’s approach to holistic memory care, incorporating elements of exercise, hydration and wellness to create an “ecosystem of brain health,” Liebreich added.

By implementing StrongerMemory activities, it creates “rhythm programming,” across Goodwin Living communities that residents expect and build routines around. This fits well with the shift senior living providers are experiencing in creating more lifestyle-focused programming and wellness opportunities for older adults living with cognitive change.

“It’s difficult to have consistency, because you have different things that arise each day, but we think that’s where we’re heading—not just a programmatic element or a gadget, but a holistic approach to brain health,” Liebreich said.

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