BCAT® Intervention Programs
Online BCAT® Digital Working Memory Exercises (DWME). This program is used either as cognitive rehabilitation (return the patient to baseline or improve cognitive performance) or to promote positive cognitive functioning (and buffer against cognitive decline). The main modules are interactive and online; and they target attention, memory, and executive functions. We refer to this triad as the "cognitive task manager" used for everyday functioning. The program is ideal for rehabilitation therapists, and can promote positive rehab outcomes in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. DWME are also used effectively as facility activities and by residents in their homes.
The BCAT® Working Memory Exercise Books (WMEB). There are two WMEB, one for professionals (Professional Edition) and one for patients/clients (Home Edition). Working memory is the ability to mentally hold and manipulate information over a short period of time. You might think of it as a cognitive “workspace” in which we temporarily store information we hear, see, or feel (tactile) in order to do something with it. From a functional perspective, working memory is a foundational cognitive level that allows one to successfully perform IADLs and ADLs. Reduced or impaired working memory means that one cannot efficiently make new memories and may be limited in performing daily life tasks. Improvement in working memory can improve cognition and function.
The MemPics® Book Series. The MemPics® series is based on research, some of which was funded by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). MemPics® books are designed to meaningfully engage participants who have memory loss in appropriate cognitively enhancing activities. The books activate old memories through pictures and conversations about familiar people, places, objects, and events. Activating old memories provides a foundation for engaging participants in directed conversation to improve cognitive performance. The MemPics® books have six separate activities. Each activity has four components: a picture, fun facts, prompting questions, and a brief story.
MemPics® can be used individually or in small groups. Participants can use the books by themselves, with family members and friends, and as part of a group event. They can also be used by a clinician as a specific intervention. For each activity, one can utilize all four features, or focus on just the picture, fun facts, prompting questions, or the story. You can choose any exercise and proceed through the book in any way you choose. A therapeutic extension of the MemPics® books series is MemPics® Grab'N Go. In this book, the MemPics® books are extended to activities that involve sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Like the foundational MemPics® books, Grab N’ Go is routinely used by recreation staff, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists.
The 3D Behavioral Management Program is a non-pharmacologic approach to managing difficult behaviors associated with dementia. These are the so-called BPSD (behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia). Examples of BPSD include physical and verbal aggression, wandering, disrobing, and exit-seeking.
The ENRICH® Brain Health Program
The ENRICH® program, which can be accessed via the BCAT® website or via our secondary site, www.enrichvisits.com, is designed to improve brain health. Visitors to this web-based program can learn about the six brain-healthy behaviors, take the ENRICH® calculator to determine how well they are currently doing with respect to their brain health, and take a cognitive self-assessment, called myMemCheck®. All three are free. ENRICH® is an excellent resource for caregivers and families.