Initiative Overview
Faculty Lead: Ali-Asghar Ali, M.D.
Challenges: In the United States, the prevalence of dementia continues to rise. Currently 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's, with only 50 percent of individuals meeting the criteria being formally diagnosed.
Unmet education and training needs: Health professionals, interprofessional trainees, direct care workers, and primary care providers face a training gap in addressing the needs of patients with ADRD and their families. This education gap results in primary care providers and the interprofessional team feeling unprepared to diagnose dementia and manage behavioral disturbances (which impact 60 percent of community-dwelling individuals with dementia).
Unmet health need: Older adults with ADRD and their families face difficulty receiving an accurate dementia diagnosis, appropriate treatment of associated behaviors, and caregiver support. Caregivers in return feel that they don’t receive adequate counseling to help care for their loved ones with ADRD. In addition, those from the LGBT community experience additional challenges around healthcare access and stigma.
Initiative vision: Education regarding dementia diagnosis and management, with a particular focus on appropriate management of dementia-associated behavioral issues and caregiver support, will meet these unmet needs.
Partners
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
- University of Houston Colleges of Medicine, Social Work, and Pharmacy
- UT Cizik School of Nursing
- Baylor St. Luke’s Primary Care Network
- BakerRipley Senior Services
- Montrose Center
- Lone Star Circle of Care
