New Brain Health Resources, Online Dementia Modules Available

Dementia—a term that includes Alzheimer’s as well as other conditions—affects 5 million people, including about 300,000 adults under age 65. And people with certain developmental and intellectual disabilities, including Down syndrome, are more likely than others to develop dementia as they age.

ACL and our grantees have several new resources for the aging, disability, and research networks on the topics of promoting brain health and coping with the symptoms of dementia:

The New Jersey Geriatric Education Center is presenting a free, 5-module, web-based program on dementia care running from Aug. 5 to Sept. 30. The modules cover the inter-professional approach to assessment and management of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The series is provided with funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration and in collaboration with ACL. Registration is required and some continuing education hours are available.
Dementia-capable States and Communities: the Basics (PDF) is an issue brief which defines dementia-capability and explores how to create “dementia-capable” long-term services and supports at the state and local levels.
Dementia-capability quality assurance assessment tools have been developed for both states and community-based entities.
Responding to the Wandering Behavior of People with Dementia (PDF)describes the needs of people with dementia who wander and discusses how to use person-centered approaches to address the challenges of wandering.
IDD and Dementia is a new paper by ACL’s National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center. The report provides a broad overview of the services and support system for persons with IDD affected by dementia, as well as their caregivers. The paper includes examples of aging and disability network partnerships and resources for improving dementia care across agencies and organizations.