Learning Launch

Challenge and Selection

The structure of the ageing population shows the number of people with cognitive decline is increasing:   therefore, innovative ideas in the prevention and delaying of this decline need to be considered. The  two treatments currently available are pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions.   Our  challenge is to offer an alternative in  in non-pharmacologic interventions using ‘Neurobic’ brain  exercising with seniors to maintain cognitive skills.

‘Neurobic’ exercise is a unique brain exercise program, presenting the combinations of physical senses,  including vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch as well as an emotional sense, with changing the daily  routine regularly.  Brain fitness provides a positive strategy for active aging, suggesting cognitive abilities  can be maintained or improved by brain exercising.  The challenge here is to see whether we can turn  everyday life into a brain gym by involving one or more of the senses in a novel context:  through engaging attention & breaking routine in unexpected nontrivial ways.

This challenge takes us into the unknown, to test a hypothesis and get to the truth, so with this  in mind I have chosen the learning launch tool, as it gives cost and time effective learning  power, providing valuable information at an early stage, quickly determining the validity of the  key underlying assumption.

Aged Care offers continual problems and challenges, and this process supports new  possibilities that can be acted upon compliant with the financial and time constraints.

Application

The process involved executing a small experiment where ‘Neurobics’ would be justifiable by  argument and prove our hypothesis to be in fact true or false.  The participants were purposely  selected, consisting of 5 elderly consumers, 3 with no cognitive impairment and 2 with  cognitive impairment.  The purpose and details of the study were explained, and consent and  cooperation requested.  A pre and post testing regime was implemented, and during the 2  weeks phase the participants worked through a workbook using various senses, and a break in  normal routine in a humorous way.  Participants were offered a choice of seven varying  exercises each week and chose the ones they would put in place, (activities developed with  consumer safety in mind).

Following the success of our first experiment, we followed up with another learning launch  experiment, this time only using consumers with little or no cognitive decline.   This was based  on the findings of our first experiment whereby loss of cognitive skills impacted on consumers  ability to effectively follow the program.  The program is now being delivered to staff to use as  part of their service delivery.

Learning Launch

Insight

Using the learning launch determined our hypothesis could be possibly true, enabling our  challenge to become a worthwhile strategy in general service delivery.  It also provided  evidence that possibly this was not the right approach with people who have lowered cognitive  skills.

The learning launch was effective, easy to implement and time and cost effective, reflecting a  hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be maintained or even improved by exercising the brain.  The outcomes also echoed it to be a safe and individualised, sustainable and fun project.

Approach

The Learning Launch quickly determined the validity of key underlying assumption using a  low-risk and affordable way of testing.  This is an appropriate tool in the Aged Care  community sector.  The key for us is to undertake lots of small experiments, review each  experiment, alleviate confirmation bias, and look at what we now know rather than what  we thought we knew.  This tool will become a normal strategy when looking for  improvements within our organisation, thus improving consumer outcomes in what is  now becoming a competitive market.

