Providing Dementia Care and Primary Care in One Place Helps Caregivers

First Program of its Kind for Dementia Patients and Caregivers

The clinical team at Emory’s integrated memory care program becomes the patients’ primary care provider for a range of health care services, from treating a cold to:

• Cognitive assessments to evaluate the current dementia stage 
• Monitoring and treating chronic conditions like high blood pressure
• Preventive care, like immunizations
• Referrals to specialists, as needed
• Treatment for acute issues, like rashes or infections

Through the clinic, caregivers receive education and counseling, and help with:

• Navigating care coordination
• Planning for future care needs of their loved one
• Psychological and emotional support

The number of visits a patient requires is based on their needs. If the patient has multiple chronic health conditions or a concerning new symptom, they may see a nurse practitioner more frequently..

Appointments are one hour for the first visit and 40 minutes for existing patients. Generous appointment times allow patients and caregivers to talk in detail about their health status and concerns. Plus, they have time to delve into more nuanced issues related to dementia, such as whether a patient should continue getting cancer screenings.

Our Integrated Memory Care team includes social workers and psychiatric nurse practitioners, which is helpful for managing complicated behavioral symptoms related to dementia. The psychiatric nurse also helps dementia patients with a history of schizophrenia or depression.

“Having all these resources within one clinical practice reduces the amount of back-and-forth families have to do. This applies not only to driving their loved one to appointments but also the feeling they need to be the messenger between providers,” says Medders.

Lower Hospitalization Rates

Caregivers of established patients can call an after-hours line when urgent issues come up on nights or weekends. The service has contributed to lower hospitalization rates for patients of the program.

“We are quite good at keeping people out of the hospital unnecessarily,” says Medders. “The after-hours number for our patients and families helps answer questions about a new symptom or whether an emergency room visit is required.”

Community Program Partners with Senior Living Communities

In 2022, the Integrated Memory Care Clinic in Community Program was launched to meet a growing need for patients to receive dementia and primary care where they live. It is the first program of its kind in the U.S., and its model is available in select senior living communities in the Atlanta area. 

The community program meets new challenges caregivers face after their loved one moves from home to a care facility.

“Families would tell us they wanted their person to continue seeing the clinic team, but it was really difficult to get them to our clinic,” says Medders.

The time it took for caregivers to take their person out of the care facility, to the clinic and back while working full-time jobs and caring for their families added new stressors.

In response, the clinic created a separate program. Now, primary care and dementia nurse practitioners visit patients in their assisted care home settings. For a monthly fee, patients enrolled in the program also have access to a dementia care assistant. In weekly one-on-one visits, the care assistant engages with patients in activities, meeting them at every stage of their dementia. The assistant considers the patient’s interests–past and present–and their existing strengths.

Care assistants can observe the patient’s health on a weekly basis and report any concerns to the clinical team. This visit also serves as an additional line of support.

“We consider our Integrated Memory Care Community Program a holistic wraparound service,” says Medders.

Caring for loved ones with dementia is physically, mentally and emotionally challenging. Emory Healthcare’s new program elevates the care of memory patients and helps families take care of their own well-being. 

To make an appointment, call 404-712-6929 or visit us online to learn more about Emory Healthcare’s memory care program.