Work

Design and Development of a Community-Based, Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Dementia Care Program

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To describe the design, development, and baseline characteristics of enrollees of a home-based, interdisciplinary, dyadic, pilot dementia care program. DESIGN: Single-arm, dementia care intervention in partnership with primary care providers delivered by Health Coaches to persons with dementia and caregiver "dyads" and supervised by an interdisciplinary team. SETTING: Home- and virtual-based dyad support. PARTICIPANTS: Persons with mild cognitive impairment or dementia diagnosis and/or who were prescribed antidementia medications; had an identified caregiver willing to participate; were under the care of a partner primary care provider; and had health insurance through the affiliated accountable care organization (Banner Health Network). INTERVENTION: Provision of personalized dementia education and support in the home or virtually by Health Coaches supported by an interdisciplinary team. MEASUREMENTS: Cognition, function, mood, and behavior of persons with dementia; caregiver stress and program satisfaction; primary care provider satisfaction. RESULTS: Served dyads from three primary care clinics with a total of 87 dyads enrolled between December 2018 and June 2020. CONCLUSION: A pilot Dementia Care Partners demonstrated feasibility and suggested acceptability, and high satisfaction among primary care providers and caregivers.

Source: American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2021.10.014