Hebrew SeniorLife Opens the Center for Memory Health for People Living With Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias

The Center for Memory Health at Harvard Medical School affiliate Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) recently opened its doors to the public. Uniquely, the Center for Memory Health at HSL serves people living with Alzheimer’s and similar illnesses at all stages of memory loss and their families, caregivers, and other loved ones. The center also includes the first and only evidence-based, nurse-led care management for dementia in New England, as the center is the first adopter of the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program.

“HSL is bringing its 116+ years of experience caring exclusively for seniors to the Alzheimer’s battle, fighting the progression of the disease, supporting patients and their caregivers, and collaborating with like-minded experts on evidence-based approaches to treatment,” says Louis J. Woolf, president and CEO of HSL.

The Center for Memory Health applies a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to Alzheimer’s and related dementias that maximizes the functional capacity of older adults at all stages of memory loss—early undiagnosed symptoms, moderate to severe cognitive symptoms, and advanced symptoms at end of life —and provides essential services to their families. Led by Medical Director Gary Epstein-Lubow, MD, the center offers clinical care, research, education, and advocacy. The center serves everyone, regardless of where they live. It offers four outpatient programs, either individually or in combination, to provide customized support.

• Consultation: Determines a path forward for those with a memory concern or caregiving issue.

• Memory Assessment: Facilitates advanced diagnostic testing for patients who have experienced an observable change in cognition and/or functioning, or already “screened positive” on a cognitive assessment tool.

• Care Management: Comprehensive care coordination brings together a center nurse practitioner dementia specialist with a patient’s primary care provider as an integrated team.

• Family Care: Offers family members and caregivers a program focusing on their well-being.

Through the work of HSL’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, the center will continually assess its programs, as well as develop and evaluate new approaches in the diagnosis and care of older adults with memory loss in collaboration with institutional partners.

HSL is the first adopter of the innovative UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program. The dissemination of the UCLA program to more patients and families is supported by a grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation.

Source: Hebrew SeniorLife