Covenant Living Provides Opportunities for Loyola Students

Batavia, Ill.: On Thursday mornings at Covenant Living at the Holmstad, you can expect to find Jenna Dalton and community resident Mary in their usual spot at a table in the living room of the Memory Care neighborhood. Whether they’re busy at work or simply reminiscing and laughing, it is hard to say who is enjoying it more. Dalton is one of several Loyola University Chicago Nursing students participating in their Community Health Rotations at Covenant Living this semester.

This clinical course provides each student with an opportunity to apply nursing and public health concepts to the care of individuals, families, and aggregates in a community setting. A community assessment is conducted to identify needs within a selected community, and students use health promotion models as frameworks for health behavior change. At Covenant Living, students are provided an opportunity to present topics of interest to residents, hold blood pressure clinics and participate in the community's SAIDO Learning® program.

It is through their weekly SAIDO sessions that the students and residents have formed their bond of friendship, which bridges their age gap. In SAIDO Learning, individuals living with dementia engage in

30-minute sessions five days a week that includes exercises meant to stimulate engagement, such as simple math, reading aloud, writing and dialogue. Although the program is not a cure, in many cases participation has been shown to improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias without the use of drugs.

"It was amazing to see the impact SAIDO has on residents. SAIDO allowed residents a sense of community- which improved both their cognitive abilities and their overall wellbeing,” said Dalton. “Being part of this non-pharmacological intervention was a rewarding experience."

“This type of intergenerational partnership has tremendous mutual benefit for everyone involved,” said Amanda Gosnell, Covenant Living at the Holmstad executive director. “It goes beyond the health services and education the students provide - our residents truly feed off the energy and passion they display in their day-to-day interactions. In turn, hopefully, our residents are able to inspire them with their own wisdom, encouragement and perspective.”

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ABOUT COVENANT LIVING AT THE HOLMSTAD

Covenant Living at the Holmstad is a faith-based, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located at 700 W. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, IL. It offers residential independent living, catered living, assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. It is administered by Covenant Living Communities and Services, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior services providers. Covenant Living serves 5,000 residents at 17 senior living communities nationwide and is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. For more information on Covenant Living at the Holmstad, call 877-226-7310 or visit www.CovLivingHolmstad.org.

ABOUT SAIDO LEARNING®

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. Covenant Living began implementing SAIDO Learning within its communities in 2013 and has now become the Master License holder in North America.