Si Case Study

Si

*This is a fictional case study and character(s) based on a variety of real situations.

Si is a man in his late 60s living in Selma Park. His wife passed away a couple of years ago which led to Si downsize his home and move locations. He suffered a period of depression for a while he struggled with loneliness and his new life transition. He was concerned that he may be getting early onset dementia because he felt like his brain was performing very poorly all the time. He just could not think the way he used to when his wife was alive. After seeing a counsellor, which stabilized his mood, he made a few dramatic lifestyle changes to turn things around, including diet changes, more focus on sleep and resumption of regular exercise. One aspect of health that he had read about, but was not being addressed, was brain health. He wanted to work on that too but didn’t really know how to – other than completing the daily Wordle. While scrolling through Facebook community groups one day, he came across an advert for Cognitive Training for improved brain performance.

Long Story Short

  • Si called Tom from Living By Design – they met the following week during which time Tom conducted a comprehensive cognitive assessment to determine Si’s areas of strength and areas that he could work on improving.
  • Si was issued with a comprehensive report and guided through it in a post-assessment session with Tom.

  • Tom developed a cognitive training program for Si, which involved a combination of computer-based and pen/paper exercises.

  • Si enjoyed taking his brain ‘to the gym’ and kept the program going for 10 weeks. During this time, Si and Tom also discussed other healthy goals Si could pursue.

  • At the end of the 10 weeks, Si was reassessed and it was found that his cognitive abilities had improved. Together with the lifestyle changes Si had made, he felt like his life was back on track and he felt optimistic for the future.