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Case Studies - Organizations

GenCare Communities Stay Sharp Initiative

The Challenge:
GenCare Communities in Seattle, WA has initiated a unique and ambitious 4-part Whole Life Living health and wellness program for residents. The program focuses on nutrition, physical activity, health maintenance and mental/emotional fitness. GenCare leadership recognized that its computer-based mental fitness program, Stay Sharp, was ready to launch the program's next stage designed to sustainably engage residents, families and staff.

mindRAMP Services:
GenCare contracted with to mindRAMP to provide beef up the brain health component of their Whole Life Living program. mindRAMP consulted with GenCare leadership, determined a workable budget and designed a six-month program that includes orientation sessions and training for staff at the six GenCare Communities in the Seattle area, brain health marketing events for the general public, as well as brain health presentations and webinars for GenCare residents, families, guests and staff.

Results:
The programming is underway with fall 2010 brain health events and weekly programing which will be evaluated in early 2011.

Wilsonville Community Center

The Challenge:
Wilsonville Community Center was committed to positioning themselves as a vital and cutting edge organization in this suburban community outside Portland Oregon.

mindRAMP Services:
mindRAMP worked closely with Wilsonville's Executive Director, Peggy Watters, and Director of Programs, Patty Brescia, to formulate a plan of action that would introduce current brain health to their community. mindRAMP was contracted to jump start brain health awareness by designing and conducting the Wilsonville Senior Summit attended by seniors, city officials, and business leaders. The event was filmed and replayed on the local cable access channel offering additional brain health information throughout the Wilsonville community. Later a series of mindRAMP brain health presentations were provided for Wilsonville Community members, including a Brain Health 101 webcast pilot course and a sold-out all-day Brain Health Seminar conducted by Anunsen and Michael Patterson.

Results:
These presentations were highly popular, attracting full capacity audience of members who became committed participants in brain health activities. To continue the commitment to cognitive stimulation, Wilsonville developed the now popular Wilsonville Academy of Lifelong Learning. Rosemarie and Roy Adler the first graduates of the institute were honored during the mindRAMP All Day Seminar. Wilsonville also became a charter participant in the mindRAMP webinar series as a part of their Academy programming.

State University of NY Retirees Service Corps

The SUNY Retirees Service Corps (SUNY RSC) is working to encourage the establishment of emeriti and retirement organizations at each of the 60+ campuses that are part of the SUNY system. Only a handful of campuses currently have active retirement organizations.

The Problem:
Recruitment and motivation! SUNY RSC wanted to recruit representatives to a state wide organizational meeting and motivate the representatives to organize emeriti and retirement groups on their local campuses. Further, SUNY RSC sought assistance in organizing the conference to maximize the creative exchange between attendees.

How the problem was solved:
mindRAMP worked closely with Ram Chugh and leaders of the SUNY RSC to establish a theme and branding for the conference built around the title Re-imaging SUNY Retirement. mindRAMP developed a position paper called "The Wisdom Dividend: Reinvesting SUNY's Brain Trust Reserve" that argued that: a) SUNY would waste a valuable resource if it lost the brain-power of its retiring professors and staff; and b) brain health and cognitive vitality would be jeopardized unless professors and staff remained challenged and engaged after retirement. This position paper served as the theoretical focal point for the conference.
mindRAMP developed event planning flowcharts and timelines, design the conference agenda, and created materials to capture ideas and facilitate creative exchange. mindRAMP staff facilitated the day-long meeting, which included structured discussion groups and summaries of key discussion points by mindRAMP staff. mindRAMP also helped draft the conference report and made recommendations for future action steps.

Results:

Attendance at the conference exceeded expectations, with representatives from over 30 campuses sending representatives to Albany for the daylong conference. A post conference survey of participants confirmed that the event was "extremely well received. Nearly 95% of the respondents rated it as 'very valuable to valuable.' Comments included "Beyond my expectations" "I enjoyed the brain presentation." "Especially liked the mindRAMP talk." Governor David Patterson marked the occasion with an official citation.

SpringRidge at Chabonneau

The Challenge:
SpringRidge at Chabonneau is a resort-style, service-rich community with both independent, assisted living and memory care options. Adjacent to the planned community of Charbonneau south of Portland, OR., SpringRidge opened its beautiful10 acre campus in 1990 with award-winning amenities and added the assisted living and memory care residences next door at SpringRidge Court in 2003. While very attractive to residents from the homeowners in the Chabonneau, the marketing efforts, which included BBQs, musicians and speakers, failed to attract prospects from that target-rich community.

mindRAMP Solutions:
In 2006, SpringRidge's marketing director, Julie Oulette, brought in mindRAMP's uplifting two-hour brain health presentation to determine whether our programs could attract prospective residents to SpringRidge. In addition to the marketing event, one of mindRAMP's weekly courses was schedule to begin the following week if there was sufficient interest. Prospects would be invited to register and return to SpringRidge to take the weekly course alongside residents.

Results:
The initial marketing session filled quickly and a second presentation was added to accommodate the enthusiastic response. Announcement of the mindRAMP weekly course resulted in the scheduling of two course offerings for residents and community members. Over the next three years, SpringRidge residents and non-residents continued their participation in variety of mindRAMP brain health courses. mindRAMP returns to SpringRidge semi-annually to offer "booster" brain health marketing events with neuroscience updates. The most recent event in June of 2010 again filled the auditorium and 95% toured the facility during intermission and lingered with staff and residents during the post-event wine tasting and a buffet featuring appetizers and desserts from the SpringRidge kitchen. The parent company of SpringRidge is currently exploring implementing similar mindRAMP brain health programs at other facilities on the west coast.

National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA)

The Challenge:
NCCA is a national non-profit membership organization that promotes creative arts engagement with older adults. Dr. Gene Cohen was a co-founder of NCCA and his seminal Creativity and Aging study is among the first pieces of research to clearly demonstrate the health and mental benefits of community arts engagement programs led by professional artists. NCCA wants to stimulate further research that builds on the strong foundation established by Dr. Cohen's work and reinforce its position as the leading national organization supporting creativity and arts work with older adults.

mindRAMP Solutions:
mindRAMP has been working closely with the NCCA Board of Directors and staff on a pro bono basis. mindRAMP principals Roger Anunsen and Michael Patterson conducted a free webinar for NCCA members called The Science of Creativity and Cognitive Enhancement. Patterson presents versions of this webinar as keynote speeches at NCCA daylong Symposia around the country. Patterson also serves on the NCCA Board of Directors and, working closely with NCCA staff, has established an NCCA Research Committee. Patterson serves as Chair of the committee, sets agendas and runs quarterly meetings.

Results:
The NCCA webinar attracted a record number of registrants and set a positive tone for the NCCA lineup of subsequent webinar offerings. The Research Committee, working with the NCCA Awards Committee and the Gerontological Society of America has established the Gene Cohen Creativity and Arts Award to stimulate research on the benefits of creative arts programs for older people. The first annual award was awarded, posthumously, to Dr. Gene Cohen.

Willamette View CCRC

The Challenge:
Willamette View (WV) is a large, resident-owned Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) community near Portland. WV had just completed the construction of a state-of-the-art physical exercise program and was eager to complement this service with a state-of-the-art mental exercise program. Concerned about the sustainability of brain fitness computer software solutions, the resident committee and staff chose mindRAMP's education program.

mindRAMP Solutions:
WV worked closely with mindRAMP to develop a number of innovative approaches. mindRAMP provided brain health presentations for residents, plus several weekly brain health courses. Working with WV marketing staff, mindRAMP designed and implemented marketing events that attracted members of the community and provided them with engaging presentations from mindRAMP staff, a tour of the WV facility, as well as samples of the brain healthy food chosen by mindRAMP and expertly prepared by the WV culinary staff. mindRAMP and WV also experimented with a live broadcast pilot of the brain health classes to The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Results:
A major marketing event attracted an over-flow audience that more than filled the 200-seat auditorium. The audience was highly engaged in the inter-active brain health sessions, stayed for the entire three-hour event that included a tour of the community. WV management and resident committee were very please with both the turnout and the positive associations that were generated around the WV experience. A core of brain health residents continued with the program, recruited additional participants and shared their enthusiasm and insights with other residents. mindRAMP now returns to WV for periodic neuroscience updates, brain health "booster shots."

McMinnville Senior Center

The Challenge:
Public perception of The McMinnville Senior Center was that offered programs only for "seniors," a population that clearly did not include active older adults. McMinnville wanted to change public perception and attract Boomers to the center.

mindRAMP Solutions:
mindRAMP worked closely with McMinnville's Parks Director, Anne Lane, and proposed a series of three Saturday brain health events designed to attract boomers and position the center's programming around the idea of cognitive vitality. The City Council approved the plan and set a goal of attracting 30 to 50 attendees with a particular emphasis on first-time visitors including boomers. Three topics from mindRAMP's "This is Your Brain on . . . " series were selected and calendared over three months. The advance publicity included a full page in their seasonal program guide (with mindRAMP's challenging tag line: "Memory Slipping? Get a Grip!"), and interviews in a local newspaper and on a segment of a local morning radio talk show.

Results:
The first presentation drew a standing-room only crowd of one hundred and eleven (111)—double the goal—with others on a waiting list. The demand to attend the second event, "This is Your Brain on Chocolate" required scheduling of a second session, with combined attendance of 140. The final program, on the brain health benefits of being a passionate sports fan, was also a double session that attracted sold out audiences. Building on this success, McMinnville presented mindRAMP's all-day Brain Health Seminar a month later to yet another sold out crowd.
The series far exceed the goal of attracting people who had never been to the center and helped launch the rebranding of their Senior Center programs in the minds of boomers and older adults in the community.

Mennonite Village CCRC

The Challenge:
Mennonite Village (MV) is a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) located on over 160 acres in Albany, OR. The community had very good exercise and social support programs but residents were worried about memory issues and staff was eager to provide residents with programming that addressed brain health and provided mental stimulation.

mindRAMP Solutions:
mindRAMP worked with the MV staff to develop an event that would immediately engage the residents with our unique delivery of the latest breakthroughs in brain science. This initial brain health event for residents and families enabled MV to gauge resident interest in brain health information and to determine, with pre-registration commitments, whether to host additional mindRAMP educational courses. A registration table was available to sign up for the mindRAMP course scheduled to begin the next week.

Results:
The brain health event attracted a standing-room-only audience that stayed well beyond the two-hour schedule, continuing the Q & A for nearly an hour. The audience uniformly expressed their appreciation the information about memory and aging was presented in easy-to-understand language that they could actually understand. When the registration for mindRAMP's course exceeded the limits for the classroom, a second, afternoon session was added. MV leveraged the success of the initial programs to schedule subsequent mindRAMP courses that included the basic Brain Health 101 and BH102, plus a "Summer Camp for your Brain" with several relatives and friends joining the learning experience.