How a 'Care Ecosystem' Supports People With Dementia and Caregivers

The University of California, San Francisco's (UCSF's) Center for Memory and Aging aims to improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer's and those who care for them through a "Care Ecosystem" program, reports Next Avenue . The program not only trains care team navigators (CTNs) to answer questions and resolve issues from caregiver/recipient pairs, it is also helping other healthcare organizations establish their own Care Ecosystems. The value of such services was demonstrated in a 2019 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society , which determined that "evidence-based programs focused on supporting caregivers have been shown to result in fewer nursing community admissions and use of acute care services." The Care Ecosystem program has provided higher levels of support services for people with dementia and caregivers, using relatively uncomplicated technology like personalized phone calls and online services to help caregivers cope with routine challenges and issues. The program also follows a team-based approach in which advanced practice nurses, pharmacists, and social workers with dementia expertise work with CTNs. "We think this care team navigator is both cost efficient and . . . provides better care because the navigator has time to spend on the phone with dementia sufferers and families to build rapport, to show empathy, and really be a partner with the family as they face the challenges of dementia," said UCSF Professor Katherine Possin.