SCAN Health Plan Arizona Medicare Advantage Members Get a Brain Boost Through Pilot Project

PHOENIX, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Some Arizona Medicare Advantage members are engaging in a new type of exercise program – for their brains – to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia as well as improve their memories. This pilot project is a partnership between SCAN Health Plan Arizona and BrainSavers, and makes SCAN the first Medicare Advantage Plan in Arizona to offer this unique brain-building program.

The BrainSavers Brain + Body Total Fitness Program, a workout for the brain and body, combines memory and other cognitive exercises, cardiovascular and strength-building exercises designed to include brain strengthening elements, stress reduction techniques, socialization, insight into a brain-healthy diet, and restorative sleep habits. Participating SCAN Health Plan members will attend BrainSavers' hour-long classes three times a week at SCAN's Connections Resource Center in Phoenix beginning in May. Participants' cognitive and physical health will be assessed at the beginning of the program and again after six months to measure the impact of the pilot study.

"SCAN Health Plan Arizona is excited to offer our Medicare Advantage members a program that can help improve their overall health, independence and quality of life," said Tom Lescault, president of SCAN Health Plan Arizona. "Our Medicare Advantage members are very excited about the opportunity to be a part of this initiative. We've already received hundreds of inquiries from throughout Maricopa County."

BrainSavers Brain + Body Total Fitness is the only evidence-based healthy brain-aging program to positively affect memory performance while reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The program incorporates three components to optimum health at any age: physical well-being, cognitive strength and socialization.

"Oftentimes seniors accept a decline in cognitive function as a normal part of aging, but it doesn't have to be," said Dr. Paul Bendheim, founder, chairman and CEO of BrainSavers, based in Scottsdale, AZ. "This program will help SCAN Medicare Advantage members identify ways to improve their health and live their lives to the fullest."

About SCAN Health Plan Arizona

For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of people with Medicare and today is the fourth-largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage Plan in the United States. In addition to the 110,000 members it serves in Southern California, SCAN Health Plan offers a Medicare Advantage Plan in Maricopa County. SCAN Health Plan Arizona was recently named one of the area's best places to work by the Arizona Business Journal. Further information may be obtained at www.scanhealthplan.com.

About BrainSavers

BrainSavers was founded in 2004 by neurologist Paul E. Bendheim, M.D., and is the result of years of scientific research and study by countless physicians and scientists on brain health, cognitive science, and neurodegenerative disorders. BrainSavers mission is to assist others in maintaining healthy minds, as well as reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other memory disorders, by adopting healthier habits like regular mental and physical exercise and nutritional eating into their lives. Dedicated to providing the means to achieve a better quality of life through the BrainSavers program, Dr. Bendheim is supported by a team of recognized and highly respected experts in cognitive, nutritional and physical exercise sciences. Further information is available at www.brainsavers.com.

SOURCE SCAN Health Plan Arizona