We must improve the care of patients with dementia: Lindsay-Dawn Cooper - cleveland.com

Guest columnist Lindsay-Dawn Cooper is an adult/gerontology nurse practitioner managing the Lake Health House Calls program and providing care to patients in their homes.

In the State of Ohio, 10.7 percent of people 45 and older are struggling with cognitive decline. In fact, 220,000 Ohioans 65 and older are living with some type of dementia today -- and this is based on official diagnoses.

Some studies suggest that up to 50 percent of people with dementia never receive a diagnosis. If one doesn’t have a diagnosis, how does one seek treatment -- or even know for what treatment to ask?

Early detection and diagnosis are the very first steps to improving outcomes and quality of life for those living with dementia.

Quite often, a person struggling with memory loss or cognitive changes -- their own or that of a loved one -- first turns to a trusted primary care provider. Primary care providers are trained to diagnose and manage a myriad of chronic and acute conditions, dementia among them.

However, that aforementioned 50 percent statistic suggests that they are collectively underperforming in this arena.

It is likely that the reasons for this are many -- time constraints limiting the opportunity for discussion of sensitive topics being one -- but the fact remains that to meet our patients’ and the community’s needs, improvement must occur.

Evidence supports the notion that early diagnosis and specialist referral are linked with improved engagement in the treatment plan and higher levels of patient satisfaction.

Enter Project ECHO®.

The Alzheimer’s Association has offered a five-month interactive learning opportunity for primary care providers around the country to enhance their performance in all areas pertaining to care of the dementia patient.

At Lake Health, we currently have 20 clinical staff enrolled in Project ECHO, including five primary care physicians. Those staff members see more than 15,000 patients ages 65 and older.

The program brings together an interdisciplinary panel of experts to offer peer-to-peer guidance on communication, implementing care guidelines, managing effects of the disease and accessing resources.

Participation in project ECHO not only improves providers’ clinical acumen and encourages collegial collaboration, it also heightens awareness and commitment to addressing cognitive issues early, in a systematic and evidence-based manner.

Lake Health’s mission is to provide comprehensive health services to the residents of Lake County and neighboring communities in partnership with those who share the commitment to local access, healing with compassion and superior quality. A partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association to improve dementia care within the community is one way by which Lake Health fulfills its mission in our community.

This is Lake Health’s second session of Project ECHO. Previously, eight advanced practice providers participated, and response to the initial session was overwhelmingly positive.

As partners dedicated to raising the bar in dementia management, Lake Health and the Alzheimer’s Association are well aligned. To learn more, visit www.lakehealth.org.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today’s topics are also welcome.

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We must improve the care of patients with dementia: Lindsay-Dawn Cooper - cleveland.com
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