Optimal care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (AD) requires the mobilization of a broad array of community health services and the collaboration of many health professionals and community leaders. The education of these groups is usually provided separately and in a context divorced from the collaborative process, but this method is insufficient to prepare communities to meet the needs of persons with AD and their caregivers. We propose to take a different approach, one that will include the development of cooperation within local communities as part of the educational process. We will take advantage of the ongoing Michigan Dementia Program (MDP) to develop educational programs for two rural and two urban communities in Michigan. These communities have been proposed as locations for demonstration regional diagnostic and assessment centers for the MDP. Underserved rural and minority populations and women are well represented in these communities, which have a variety of characteristics similar to those of the range of communities in Michigan. With the assistance of local participants in the MDP and local chapters of the Alzheimer Association, we will work closely within each community to identify community resources and needs, community leaders, and health professionals whose contributions will be needed to achieve significant improvements in the care of people with dementia. We will then design, develop, and implement specific educational interventions that present state-of-the-art information on the detection, diagnosis, assessment, treatment and management of AD within the local community's collaborative context. The results of these interventions will be assessed by comparing baseline measures with outcomes, assessing knowledge, attitudes, practice, behavior and levels of collaboration among the participants. By tailoring the educational interventions to the specific needs of each community, we will be best able to a) improve community responses for supportive assistance to persons with AD and their families and b) develop more rapid and effective referral to appropriately trained health care providers for diagnosis, assessment, treatment and management of AD. The experience gained through these interventions then can be used to provide more effective education to other communities in Michigan in the future.
| Connell, C M; Kole, S L; Benedict, C J et al. (1994) Increasing coordination of the dementia service delivery network: planning for the Community Outreach Education Program. Gerontologist 34:700-6 |
