Finger Lakes Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease (FLCEAD)

The Finger Lakes Center of Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease (FLCEAD) is a program designed to increase the Finger Lakes region's capacity to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of memory loss, cognitive impairments, and dementia. The FLCEAD, funded in part by a grant for the New York State Department of Health, aims to reduce health disparities in dementia care by increasing access to trained medical providers.

The FLCEAD aims to create more access to dementia care services for patients from underserved populations including African Americans, Latinos, those who live in rural and urban underserved areas, those at or near the poverty level, and those for whom English is not their primary language. We accomplish this through outreach activities and in targeted areas; to screen and diagnose, or screen and refer, patients to the Memory Care Program (MCP); and augmented capacity for the MCP for provision of care that is culturally-sensitive and available to patients who do not speak English.

In partnership with Finger Lakes Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (FLGWEP) and the UR ECHO®GEMH telementoring program, the FLCEAD will train more medical providers in primary care practices in the following ways:

• to appreciate the benefits of dementia diagnosis despite the fact that it is not preventable or curable at this time
• to screen for cognitive impairment and to provide support services for patients who screen positive
• to provide them with resources to which they can refer or from which they can seek consultation as needed
   

The Memory Care Program (MCP) and the UR mental health programs [ECHO®GEMH, and the Geriatric Telemental Health Program (GTHP)] are two such potential resources that could fill these service gaps.

NEWS

U.S. Health System Should Prepare for Future Alzheimer's Treatments

www.rand.org

The U.S. health care system isn't ready to meet demand for a breakthrough Alzheimer's treatment. Results from clinical trials are producing guarded optimism that a breakthrough could arrive as early as 2020. If this happens, up to 2.1 million patients could develop Alzheimer's dementia by 2040 while on treatment and evaluation waiting lists.  ( read more  https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2272.html  )