Posted on: March 29, 2023
The Neil and Susan Manning Cognitive Health Initiative (CHI) and RJH Senior’s Outpatient Clinic have introduced a new evidence-based course into their programming.
Learning the Ropes (LTR) is a 6 - week course focused on optimizing cognitive health for older adults living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their partners in care. MCI refers to cognitive decline (commonly involving memory) greater than expected for a person’s age. MCI indicates risk of future dementia and the Learning the Ropes course aims to help reduce this risk.
The Learning the Ropes program was designed in Canada by Baycrest Health Sciences Centre (Toronto) and takes a proactive, evidenced-based approach.
Key participant reported outcomes from the LTR course include:
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Improved knowledge and use of practical memory strategies; and
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Improved functional memory and increased confidence in coping with memory decline.
Topics covered in the LTR course include:
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Week 1: Overview of Strategies
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Week 2: Memory Organizer
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Week 3: Stress Management
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Week 4: Recreation
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Week 5: Future Planning
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Week 6: Nutrition
CHI team is now working to develop community partnerships to further integrate this programming into community-based settings and build capacity for future cognitive health programming.
To date, the group has been delivered at multiple Island Health locations in the Southern Island region and the CHI team is now working to develop community partnerships to further integrate this programming into community-based settings and build capacity for future cognitive health programming.
This initiative has been facilitated using a Learning Health System approach, which aims to embed research, evidence-based interventions, innovation and patient engagement into care delivery.
Please feel free to reach out to Cognitive Health Initiative Team for more information at CHI@islandhealth.ca.