Hope for People Living with Dementia, SAIDO Learning® at Devon Oaks

SAIDO Learning is an innovative cognitive therapy that has been shown to improve symptoms of memory loss among older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. This breakthrough, life-transforming therapy is offered onsite to residents of Devon Oaks Assisted Living, an Eliza Jennings community in Westlake.

The SAIDO Learning method involves a staff member trained to work with two older adults by engaging them in a series of simple arithmetic, writing, and reading exercises designed to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for cognitive function. The 30-minute sessions are conducted five days a week. The goal of the therapy is to engage the older adult in the accomplishment of repeated successful exercises, progressing to new material at the individual’s own level and pace.

Residents participating in SAIDO Learning experience increased independence, better performance of daily tasks such as dressing, grooming, and eating, and improved quality of life. Many begin to enjoy resident activities and favorite pastimes again.

Eliza Jennings was the first U.S. aging services organization to offer SAIDO Learning. For more information about SAIDO Learning and memory support services at Devon Oaks, call Kathy Bultema at 440.250.2300 or visit https://devonoaks.elizajennings.org/.