The purpose of this flow chart is to provide a best practice tool for professionals (clinical providers and community workers) to use in the field to guide processes of screening, assessment, and care planning for persons with dementia. This tool aims to encourage ongoing connection between clinical, community, and family care team members. Click the link below to access the PDF resource.
Educational Resources
This is a resource library of educational resources on dementia. There’s so much information out there and it’s hard to know what to trust. These resources have been reviewed by local subject matter experts and added to this searchable and filterable library for your convenience.
Much thanks to Dr. Kevin Kawamoto, the University of Hawai’i Center on Aging, and the Workforce Development workgroup members for putting together this Master Curriculum. The curriculum was designed with an “a la carte” model in mind, allowing educators and trainers to choose which items would be most suitable and appropriate for their particular audiences. Click here for the full document or scroll down to search for the topic you’d like to learn about.
Resource Library
Supporting Professionals: Community and Clinical Linkages for Dementia Care
- Type: The Dementia Care Workforce, Early Detection
- Prevention Level: Secondary
- Material Type: Infographic
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Source:
Hawaiʻi Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, University of Hawaiʻi Center on Aging, Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute, Hawaiʻi Dementia Initiative
The Rising Toll of Alzheimer’s Disease, Policy Paper (October 2020)
- Type: Cost Burden to Society
- Prevention Level: Tertiary
- Material Type: Literature
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Source:
Senate RPC
Try Non-Drug Treatment First to Manage Dementia
- Type: Psychosocial Interventions
- Prevention Level: Tertiary
- Material Type: Literature
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Source:
Stephanie Sophie Lee, ABC News
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Literature Review” (2014)
- Type: Health Disparities
- Prevention Level: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
- Material Type: Literature
-
Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Grants Approval for Alzheimer’s Drug
- Type: Pharmacological Interventions
- Prevention Level: Tertiary
- Material Type: Literature
-
Source:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Prevention Levels
The three points of prevention, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are:
Primary Prevention
Primary Prevention — or risk reduction — strives to intervene before health effects occur, through measures such as promoting healthy and safe behaviors (e.g., eating well, exercising regularly, not smoking), mandating safe and healthy practices (e.g., use of seatbelts and bike helmets), and limiting exposure to factors associated with a disease or health condition (e.g., asbestos, lead and mercury).
Secondary Prevention
Secondary Prevention — or early detection and diagnosis — aims to identify diseases in the earliest stages, before the onset of more severe symptoms (e.g., increasing awareness of symptoms, promoting early diagnosis and educating health care providers about the benefits of early diagnosis and intervention strategies).
Tertiary Prevention
Tertiary Prevention — or management of comorbidities — involves managing disease post diagnosis to minimize negative health and quality of life effects. Comorbidities occur when a person has more than one disease or condition at the same time. Tertiary prevention is also important when thinking about caregivers, who are influential in managing care and reducing complications, sometimes at the expense of their own health.
“There are opportunities for public health intervention across the dementia life course. The public health community can intervene across the points of prevention — primary, secondary and tertiary — to impact the brain health of the population. The figure shows the potential impact of the different prevention points throughout the continuum of dementia.
Public health action is critical to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment, improve access to early detection and diagnosis and improve the safety and quality of care for people living with dementia… In early life and throughout the life course, primary prevention can make a difference in sustaining cognitive function across a population.” For those with Mild Cognitive Impairment, “secondary prevention in the form of early detection and diagnosis is paramount.” “Tertiary prevention strategies can connect the person living with dementia to treatment and support services to help preserve their independence and quality of life for as long as possible.”
– Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023-2027
Resources on Dementia for Children
Witnessing a loved one going through changes associated with dementia can be confusing, scary, and alienating for a child, especially when adults don’t effectively communicate what’s going on.
Dr. Kevin Kawamoto compiled a list of children’s book titles with descriptions provided on Amazon.com so that adults can review possible materials that would be suitable for helping to start a conversation with their keiki about dementia.
Learn MoreSupport Groups & Upcoming Events
Understanding and Responding to Dementia Behaviors: Caregiver Conference
This full day in-person conference (with Zoom link available) is for unpaid family and friend caregivers who are caring for someone with memory loss or dementia. This event will feature […]
Neuroscience Symposium - From Inflammation to Intervention, Neuroimmune Crossroads: Mechanisms, Models, and Medicine
Neuroinflammation lies at the intersection of immune signaling, neural circuitry, and disease progression. Over the past decade, extraordinary advances have deepened our understanding of microglial activation states, peripheral immune infiltration, […]
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