News - March 18, 2022

CONTACT: Elizabeth Bement

703.915.5830 | elizabeth.bement@finnpartners.com

StrongerMemory by Goodwin House Incorporated Now Available in Spanish

New offering brings innovative brain health curriculum to Spanish speaking older adults

Alexandria, VA – An increasingly popular brain health curriculum, StrongerMemory, is now available in Spanish, bringing this cognition tool to a broader community of older adults. Goodwin House Incorporated (GHI), a senior living and health care services organization in the National Capital Region, announced the expansion of StrongerMemory into another language today.

“A key purpose of creating an accessible and no-cost program like StrongerMemory is so everyone confronted with dementia and cognitive decline has access to solutions that help them to possibly push off the symptoms,” said Rob Liebreich, GHI President and CEO. “This disease is devastating, and we need more tools we can all use to find hope instead of despair.”

StrongerMemory was created by Mr. Liebreich in 2011 to help his mother, Wendy, fight against cognitive decline. The proven curriculum was first implemented for GHI residents in January 2020. StrongerMemory consists of simple activities practiced daily to engage the working memory and trigger brain activity in the prefrontal cortex. Research indicates that participants who spend 20 to 30 minutes a day engaged in simple reading, writing and math activities can stabilize or improve cognitive functions.

The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million people in 2020. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that accounts for nearly 20% of the total population. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 13% of Hispanic adults 65 or older have Alzheimer’s Disease and are 1.5 times more likely than White Americans to have dementia. StrongerMemory was translated into Spanish by Dr. Ana-Maria Nuevo, PhD, a linguist and second language education consultant.

"When I first learned about StrongerMemory, I immediately knew the transformative potential it could have in the lives of our beloved senior community,” said Dr. Nuevo. “I offered to translate it into Spanish pro bono because I believe the program will do so much good. I did not want our Spanish-speaking seniors to miss out on this safe, fun and non-pharmacological option to protect their memory and cognitive function."

“We're incredibly grateful to Dr. Nuevo for helping us achieve this first step towards expanding the program and reaching more people,” said Liebreich. “We hope that by taking this step, we connect with others who can help us more fully extend the program to those who speak Spanish, and also to those who speak other languages. Our desire is to reach as many people as possible who could benefit from the StrongerMemory program.”

With a goal to enhance the lives of more than 100,000 older adults, GHI is able to make StrongerMemory available at no cost thanks to the generous donors of the Goodwin House Foundation. The Foundation supports many innovative efforts, including a U.S. Citizenship Program, tuition assistance, music therapy, brain health initiatives and various other programs that support the Goodwin House mission.

The StrongerMemory curriculums can be downloaded on the GHI website at www.strongermemory.org. The StrongerMemory site also links to helpful videos on the curriculum and interviews with Rob Liebreich and his mother, Wendy.

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About Goodwin House Incorporated: Celebrating 54 years of providing exceptional service to older adults, Goodwin House Incorporated (GHI) is a not-for-profit, Virginia-based corporation affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Through its growing family of senior living and healthcare services owned and operated across Northern Virginia, GHI serves 2,000 older adults with options that include: two Life Plan Communities—Goodwin House Alexandria and Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads; an innovative continuing care at home program—Goodwin House at Home; and a portfolio of healthcare services and partnerships delivering Home Health, Rehabilitation, Primary Care, Palliative Care and Hospice.

GHI also is the management agent for The Lewinsville Retirement Residences, Inc. serving low-income older adults in McLean and Great Falls, Virginia. GHI also advances its mission through the Goodwin House Foundation, a 501(c)(3) supporting foundation that provides financial support to current and future residents in need and to fund programs dedicated to promoting growth and education of staff as well as overall well-being and vibrant living as we age.

About StrongerMemory: StrongerMemory is a curriculum designed to stimulate the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which governs our ability to retrieve memories. Participants spend just 20 to 30 minutes a day engaged in simple reading, writing and math activities. The StrongerMemory program is currently available in a workbook of exercises and can be downloaded at no cost at StrongerMemory.org. StrongerMemory is available at no cost thanks to financial support from the Goodwin House Foundation.