Resources

early detection Resource guides

Health Systems Early Detection of Dementia Toolkit

Early Detection of Dementia – Health System Provider Toolkit

The BOLD Center for Early Detection of Dementia, in collaboration with the CDC, is pleased to share a new toolkit resource for clinicians, administrators, and patients engaged with large health systems who are interested in promoting early detection of dementia, establishing supportive services, and becoming more ‘dementia-capable’. It supports a comprehensive approach to dementia detection and includes resources that encompass a broad view of the capacities needed to make your efforts most effective and cultivate a supportive and sustainable care pathway for individuals and their families.

Suggested citation: BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Early Detection of Dementia. (2024). Early Detection of Dementia Toolkit for Health Systems. 

If you have disseminated or are using our Center’s resource guides, we’d love to hear from your!

Please email us to let us know:

  1. With which groups you have shared this resource.
  2. How you are using (or considering using) the toolkit or any of its sections in your work.

We’d love to hear from you on audiences reached, reactions to the content, and which sections have been most engaging versus which sections you’d like to see our Center develop further in supplemental files or additional infographics.

Additional sector-specific toolkits coming soon. 

Implementation and sustainment decision tool

Our Center has launched a new interactive early detection of dementia implementation and sustainment decision tree tool.

This tool was developed to guide programs through key phases, action steps, community considerations, and capacity building steps to successfully adopt, implement, evaluate, improve, and sustain comprehensive early detection of dementia programs for communities. 

You can access the interactive decision tree and download the static PDF file on our Implementation and Sustainment Decision Tree webpage.

There are many creative opportunities to leverage this new tool. Please get in touch with us at [email protected] to let us know how you are using the decision tree to inform and guide efforts to advance early detection of dementia for your communities! Our Center is happy to provide technical assistance and additional guidance regarding any of the steps.

Screenshot of entire decision tool when all components are open

worksheets

My memory and thinking are not what they used to be. Should I be concerned?

Changes in memory and thinking that interfere with your everyday activities are not a normal part of getting older. If you experience changes in your memory or thinking, you should talk to a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional about these changes. Don’t rely on guesswork when it comes to your brain! Talking with a health care professional can be very helpful.

To help you talk with a health care professional, here is a brief form you can print, fill out, and give to your doctor, nurse, or another staff member at your appointment. This form will help you plan your visit and what you are going to say. If you need help with this form or the questions on it, ask a trusted friend or family member to help you fill it out and come with you to your appointment.

After you talk about the items on this form, you may be asked a few questions about your overall health and well-being. A doctor, nurse, or another staff member may ask about any changes in your medications (including prescriptions or over-the-counter medications). They may ask about changes in your day-to-day habits and experiences. They may also ask you how well you are sleeping, how physically active you are, whether your appetite has changed, if you feel worried or sad, or about stresses in your life. This will help you and your doctor understand your symptoms and create helpful strategies.

Your doctor or another health care professional may also recommend some tests to see how you’re doing. Changes in memory and thinking can be signs of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, but they can also be due to another health problem. You may not understand your symptoms until you speak with a health care professional.   

Don’t delay. Fill out the brief form and use it to discuss your memory and thinking with a health care professional.

What To Ask Your Doctor When You Have Been Diagnosed with Dementia

Learning that you have Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia can be overwhelming and confusing. You may be sad, angry, or scared. These feelings are normal.

Our worksheet walks you through what to expect and what steps to take next. Learning these steps can help you channel your feelings into something positive and gain control. 

View the worksheet here

INFOGRAPHICS

Dementia 101

Approaching conversations about dementia

Overview of Screening Instruments

The “best” tool is the one that works best in your setting, with your capacity and programmatic goals.

The tools listed in our toolkit are promoted by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), and/or United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). They have been tested and validated across various communities and settings (e.g., clinics, community settings).

No single screening or assessment tool is perfect for all uses. You may start by using one and later add or change to another as needs evolve.

Refer to our overview of screening instruments, or Appendix A in our toolkit at the top of this page.

Notes from the field

news briefs

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Catch up on past newsletters by reviewing our Newsletter archive! 

PARTNER SPOTLIGHTS

The BOLD PHCOE on EDD has many wonderful partners in the field of early detection of dementia. We highlight the innovative early detection work by leaders in this field and showcase concrete, actionable efforts adaptable to many settings. Click here to read about our partners and learn more about their exceptional work.

WEBINARS

The BOLD Public Health Center of Excellence on Early Detection of Dementia is pleased to offer our series of conversations about health system interventions to promote earlier dementia detection as a pathway to better care and outcomes. 

Click here to watch our past webinars!