Physician Outreach

This past spring with the support of a grant from The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. we began a project that we have long wanted to address, namely the Physician Outreach Program. Following careful review of referral data, we realized that metropolitan area physicians were rarely referring people to the Alzheimer’s Association, NYC Chapter. Through this grant I was able to bring on Jessica Salvatore, MBA graduate student from Baruch College, as a summer intern at the Chapter to work on this project. Together, we developed an interview questionnaire intended to gain a clear understanding of what happens after a person is diagnosed with a dementing illness.

Members of our Chapter Board of Directors and staff reached out to physician colleagues and friends in various boroughs who generously gave of their time to be interviewed. This helped us to understand what takes place in the doctor’s office when a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another dementia.

We learned that the typical scenario goes like this: a physician diagnoses a patient with AD or another dementia, explains the nature of the illness, perhaps prescribes a cholinesterase inhibitor (Aricept, Exelon, or Razadyne) and sends the person with dementia (PWD) and his/her caregiver on their way to return in 6 months or so for a follow-up visit. Rarely does the physician have time to address major issues such as the risk of wandering, what can be done to safeguard the PWD from this very dangerous situation, or any of these other critical issues:

• Offering support to the PWD and caregivers
• Managing behaviors associated with dementia
• Educating caregivers about most appropriate approaches to care
• Legal and financial issues associated with care

According to the physicians we interviewed, amongst the challenges they face in caring for PWDs is that they just do not have the time to adequately address the non-medical needs (such as those listed above) of PWDs and caregivers. These are the very issues which the programs and services of the Alzheimer’s Association are prepared to address. Yet, at present, physicians are not taking advantage of the option to refer to us.

Our study has brought to light what we have long suspected – there exists a vast gap in connecting people who are diagnosed and their caregivers to the free programs and services of the Alzheimer’s Association, and that we could bridge this gap by facilitating a referral to the Association at the time of the MD visit.

This information has presented us with an opportunity, to help the physician, the PWD and the caregiver, by devising a system that facilitates the physician referral of the PWD and/ or caregiver to the Alzheimer’s Association for their non-medical needs. Based on input from physicians, we have developed an approach that includes in-person, telephone and e-mail contact with the physician. We are ready and eager to implement this program to mend the disconnect in services, and are seeking funder(s) to help us with the cost of putting our plan into action.

To receive more information, please contact our 24-hour Helpline at 800-272-3900 or helpline@alznyc.org.

— Della Frazier-Rios, RN, MS
Senior Vice President,
Director of Education & Outreach

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