Wellness programs have become increasingly valuable as both insurers and employers look for ways to enable individuals to improve their health and take control of their health expenses. Typically, these programs focus on physical health. However, long-term care insurance provider Penn Treaty American Corporation saw the benefit–particularly in its line of business–of including mental health fitness when the carrier began to develop its own wellness initiative.

"More than 20 percent of the population over the age of 75 has some level of mild cognitive impairment," says Stephen LaPierre, executive vice president of Penn Treaty. "Also, claims related to Alzheimer's disease and dementia are among the most costly in the long-term care insurance industry in terms of both number and cost. Therefore, anything we can do as an industry to improve the cognitive health of our policyholders is a win-win."

In November, Penn Treaty began offering the Brain Fitness Program from Posit Science to its policyholders, becoming the first long-term care insurance provider to do so. The Brain Fitness Program is a computer-based series of "mental exercises" that require users to perform increasingly complicated series of tasks designed to help improve memory, strengthen communication, and sharpen thinking skills, with the ultimate goal of delaying the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.