SKOKIE, IL (November 6, 2018) – SAIDO Learning®, a program that has showed success in helping individuals with memory impairment, will get broader distribution now that Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC) has become the master license holder in North America, said president and CEO Terri Cunliffe.
With SAIDO Learning, individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias meet with trained staff for structured sessions on mental exercises that focus on simple arithmetic, writing, and reading aloud to attempt to increase mental agility. Although the program is not a cure, participation in it can help improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease without the use of drugs.
SAIDO Learning was developed by the Kumon Learning Therapy Center, part of the Kumon Institute of Education in Japan. Eliza Jennings, a senior living organization based in Cleveland, Ohio, introduced the program in the United States. CRC began implementing SAIDO Learning within its communities in 2013.
“This is an exciting time for CRC and we, along with our board of directors, are already beginning to develop a robust strategic plan for SAIDO that is anticipated to take 18-24 months in order to truly roll this out nationwide,” Cunliffe said.
“The Eliza Jennings organization, while very committed to SAIDO, recognized the challenge of nationwide expansion given its Northeast Ohio location,” said Richard M. Boyson Jr., Eliza Jennings president and CEO. “CRC, with a broader footprint within the U.S. will help to carry on that main goal of expansion.”
Covenant Retirement Communities, a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church, is the nation’s sixth largest nonprofit senior services provider. It serves 5,000 residents at 16 retirement communities in nine states and offers independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and rehabilitation.
