Healthcare Professional Toolkit
As a healthcare professional, your role in addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is vital. We appreciate your dedication to improving the lives of those affected by cognitive decline, and we are honored to support your efforts with this curated toolkit.
Below are resources to educate and assist patients, families, caregivers, colleagues and you. These materials reflect the latest evidence, state-level priorities and communication tools to enhance dementia-capable care in every setting.
If working in primary care, we recommend starting with the Gerontological Society of America KAER toolkit which offers a step by step guide to diagnosing and referring to dementia in primary care, as well as Tools for Better Dementia Care by Brian Unwin, M.D. which reviews the elements of high quality primary care.
For health care professionals in other settings such as community based organizations, we recommend starting with the Dementia Capable Virginia website presented by the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services.
By encouraging your patients/clients to enroll in the VMP, you are helping us gather essential data about caregivers and people living with dementia in Virginia. You can also request help from our social worker. She can help you with referrals and education related to:
- caregiver support
- finding a doctor
- assessing your memory
- providing education
- advance care planning.
We are happy to provide a free social work consultation to all your patients and caregivers. If you are interested, please contact Ashley Staton at statonan@vcu.edu.
Thank you again for your commitment to dementia-informed care and for partnering with us to improve brain health across the Commonwealth.
If you need immediate help, you can call the Alzheimer’s Association 24 hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900 or visit their website.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kim Ivey at ksivey@vcu.edu.