Who We Support
The New England region of the Alzheimer’s Association has been at the forefront of reimagining dementia care for more than a decade and has implemented the Dementia Care Coordination (DCC) program, which is the first of its kind.
The DCC program provides a comprehensive model of care through a partnership between the Alzheimer’s Association and a health care system or insurer. As of April 2022, our 30+ partners include Mass General Brigham, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, Baystate Health System, Commonwealth Care Alliance, Lahey Health System, and Maine Health.
- A health care provider within the partnership asks caregivers of patients who are living with dementia if they would consider being referred to the Alzheimer’s association’s DCC team.
- If so, a care consultation is scheduled by phone or teleconference. The care consultation is a detailed review of the issues faced both by the person with dementia and the caregiver.
- An individualized care plan is developed to maximize the independence of the person living with dementia, review available resources, and develop strategies for the best management of symptoms and behaviors.
- The plan is sent to the caregiver and a summary is sent to the referring clinician to include in the patient’s permanent medical record.
- An Alzheimer’s Association staff member follows up with the caregiver to assess progress on the care plan.
- Referring clinicians are updated if there are significant changes.
Since its inception the DCC program has helped over 13,000 New England families. To learn more please contact Suzanne Lissy at suzanne@needhamgoespurple.org