DARS Dementia Services

Dementia Services

Dementia Services provides assistance across the Commonwealth to persons with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and their caregivers. The primary role of Dementia Services is to monitor the development and implementation of Virginia's Dementia State Plan by coordinating, facilitating, and supporting the activities of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission. Additional functions include:

Disseminating information
Coordinating services and activities
Identifying interdisciplinary memory assessment centers

Dementia resources to help individuals and families, and to support health care and community services providers, are on the new Dementia Capable Virginia page. For an overview of dementia, links to home and community-based service providers, non-DARS trainings, grant providers or data sources, please click here.

Covid-19 and Dementia

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting changes to social behavior can have special challenges for those living with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, and for those caring for them. Up-to-date information and resources to help meet those challenges is available at the Alzheimer’s Association.

2024 Dementia State Plan

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2023 Virginia Dementia Capable Summit
Covid-19 and Dementia
Dementia State Plan
Dementia Services Director
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission
Brain Health Virginia
Dementia Friends Virginia
Dementia-related Data for Virginia
Publications

Dementia Services Director

The Dementia Services Director position was established in *2013 in response to Goal 1, Objective A of Virginia's first Dementia State Plan, published in 2011.

"Create a position and obtain specific funding to hire a full time Dementia Services Coordinator (DSC) to coordinate the services provided to persons with Alzheimer's disease and Related Dementia working in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Commission."

This position oversees Virginia's dementia-capability by recommending policy and coordinating statewide data collection, research and analysis; and training and awareness efforts in conjunction with the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission:

The Dementia Services Director shall disseminate information on systems, services and related activities for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, to the medical and healthcare community, academic community, primary family caregivers, advocacy associations, and the general public.
The Dementia Services Director shall coordinate services and activities of state and local agencies, service providers, advocacy groups, first responders and law enforcement, as well as other entities throughout the state that engage the person with dementia and caregivers, specifically the Alzheimer's Association, Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), and Adult Protective Services (APS).
The Dementia Services Director shall coordinate and provide support for Commission activities.
The Dementia Services Director shall continue to identify interdisciplinary memory assessment centers, share information about them with consumers, and provide professional development opportunities for center staff.

Requests for information or collaboration can be directed to:

George Worthington
Dementia Services Director
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Division for Community Living
1610 Forest Ave, Suite 100
Henrico, VA 23229
Phone: (804) 662 - 9154
Email: George.Worthington@dars.virginia.gov

* George Worthington would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Charlotte Arbogast and Devin Bowers, Virginia's two previous Dementia Services Coordinators. Their hard work, dedication, and many accomplishments laid a vital foundation for changing and improving dementia services in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission

The Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD) Commission was established in 1982. The 15 appointed members, who advise the Governor and General Assembly, meet quarterly and prepare an annual report with recommendations and activities. In addition, the ADRD Commission produces Virginia's Dementia State Plan and works to implement the five goals of the plan through the activities of three work groups. All ADRD Commission and work group meetings are open to the public and can be found on the Commonwealth Calendar. For additional information, including a list of current members, the ADRD Commission's annual report, notice of upcoming meetings, agendas, and minutes from past meetings, please click here.

Coordinated Care Work Group
Goal 1: Coordinate Quality Dementia Services in the Commonwealth to Ensure Dementia-Capability
Goal 4: Provide Access to Quality Coordinated Care for Individuals with Dementia in the Most Integrated Setting

Training Work Group
Goal 3: Increase Awareness and Create Dementia Specific Training

Data and Research Work Group
Goal 2: Use Dementia Related Data to Improve Public Health
Goal 5: Expand Resources for Dementia Specific Translational Research and Evidence-Based Practices

Brain Health/Dementia Risk Reduction Workgroup
Goal 6: Enhance brain health and address modifiable risk factors for dementia.

Dementia State Plan 2024-2027 NEW!

The Virginia Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Commission has released the Virginia Dementia State Plan 2024-2027: Building a Dementia Capable Virginia. Reflecting new knowledge and understanding of brain health and the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, the Plan contains a new Goal 6: Brain Health and Dementia Risk Reduction. This is the first new goal since the Plan was created in 2011, and mirrors a similar change in theNational Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. The other five goals address statewide coordination, data collection, workforce and caregiver training, care coordination and research. Each goal contains objectives and strategies that are new or updated to reflect new knowledge and to build on previous accomplishments. The new Plan also fully incorporates the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)Healthy Brain Initiative Roadmap and links the Roadmap activities directly to the objectives of Virginia's Plan. The Plan serves as a blueprint for a dementia-capable Virginia that is ready to meet the challenge of the rising numbers of citizens of the Commonwealth living with dementia or caring for individuals living with dementia. If you are interested in helping move the Plan forward, please contact the Dementia Services Director on dementia@dars.virginia.gov or 804 662 9154.

VGCOA Webinar:
Virginia's New Dementia State Plan 2024-2027: Elevating Prevention ADRD Commission Chair Lana Sargent and DARS Dementia Services Director George Worthington presented a webinar for the Virginia Governor's Conference on Aging (VGCOA) on February 27, 2024. You can view the recording here.

The Commission updates the Plan every four years. Here are links to the four Plans released since 2011:

Dementia-related Data for Virginia

Goal 3 of the Dementia State Plan calls for the collection and distribution of accurate data on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias across the Commonwealth. This data helps inform policy formulation and planning to meet present and future needs. There is no single source of data that provides a complete picture of dementia in Virginia, so it is important to look at several different measures, each of which provides insights into the overall situation. The Dementia Services Director periodically conducts an inventory of dementia-related data collected by state agencies, and these are detailed in two reports: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: Interagency Collaborative Data Collection Efforts (2014) and Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: Interagency Collaborative Data Collection Efforts (2019). These documents describe various data sources and discuss their strengths and limitations. DARS would like to thank all the state agencies, experts and advocates who contributed to the development of these reports.

Data from other sources (below) also helps describe the state of dementia in Virginia. Click here for even more dementia-related data.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Every year, the Virginia Department of Health conducts the BRFSS survey, part of a national effort to monitor health overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey consists of core and optional modules. Periodically, states ask the Cognitive Decline and Caregiver optional modules to provide insights into the number of people living with cognitive changes and the impact of those on their daily lives, and into the number of people providing care for others and the duration and intensity of that care. Virginia has included these optional modules in several recent years: Cognitive Decline in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2019, and Caregiving in 2013, 2015 and 2019. The goal is to ask these every three to four years. You can find more information about these optional modules here.

The CDC and the Alzheimer’s Association have created infographics of the data:

	CDC Infographic	Alzheimer’s Association Infographic
Cognitive Decline	2015, 2019	2015, 2019
Caregiving	2015, 2019	2015, 2019

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):

County level data is available for beneficiaries of fee-for-service (traditional) Medicare with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease or a related dementia (ADD). These data are available annually from 2011 through 2018, and a map of the latest data is also available. For the full dataset, please contact the Dementia Services Director on George.worthington@dars.virginia.gov or 804-662-9154.

Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures

Every year, the Alzheimer’s Association publishes Alzheimer’s Disesase Facts and Figures detailing the state of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the United States and provides infographics for each state. You can find the infographic for 2022 here.

Brain Health Virginia

Brain Health Virginia is a partnership between the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission, the Virginia Department of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. This webpage was created to help achieve the following objectives:

Educate health care providers on the importance of early detection and timely diagnosis of cognitive impairment, validated cognitive assessment tools, and the value of a Medicare Annual Wellness visit for cognitive health.
Conduct culturally-appropriate public health campaigns to increase understanding and awareness of early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, and the value of early detection and diagnosis.

These objectives were inspired by the Healthy Brain Initiative, launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alzheimer’s Association in 2013. The initiative is both a call to action and a guide for implementing an effective, coordinated approach to moving brain health into the public health spotlight.

To visit the Brain Health Virginia webpage click here.

Dementia Friends Virginia

logo Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. Developed by the Alzheimer's Society in the United Kingdom, the Dementia Friends initiative to increase awareness and understanding of dementia, and reduce the associated stigma, is underway in Virginia. DARS and LeadingAge Virginia are the co-leads for this initiative, and offer free Dementia Friends Champion training sessions to train Dementia Friends Champions to deliver the interactive and engaging Dementia Friends information sessions in your community. To find out more about Dementia Friends information sessions or the Champion trainings, please visit Dementia Friends Virginia

Federal Grants

In 2018, the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services completed two federal grants awarded by the Administration for Community Living.

Funding Opportunity: Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: Specialized Supportive Services Project
Funding Period: September 2015 - August 2018
Project Title: A Dementia-Capable Virginia: Virginia Dementia Specialized Supportive Services Project
Total Approved Budget: $1,297,051

The goal of this project is to enhance Virginia's dementia-capability by providing efficient, effective coordination of services and promote education and well-being for persons with dementia and their caregivers. This is being achieved through the implementation of a Care Coordination Program (CCP) and the Effective Strategies Program (ESP). The CCP provides care management and coordination in addition to resources for persons newly diagnosed with cognitive impairment. The ESP is an educational workshop that educates participants about dementia and teaches them skills to cope with and manage their disease. For additional information please review the materials provided below. Partners include the University of Virginia Memory and Aging Care Clinic and the Jefferson Area Board for Aging.

Funding Opportunity: Alzheimer's Disease Supportive Services Program
Funding Period: September 2016 – August 2018
Project Title: A Dementia-Capable Virginia: Expanding FAMILIES
Total Approved Budget: $510,020

The goal of this project is to expand access to the FAMILIES program statewide. Telehealth resources will be used to expand delivery of the program to rural areas and availability of in-person participation will be increased in certain regions. View the fliers below for additional information and eligibility requirements. Partners include the University of Virginia Memory and Aging Care Clinic and Center for Telehealth: Office of Telemedicine, Greater Richmond Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Senior Connections, Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health, Southeastern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance, Bay Aging, and Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia.

News Release

Questions or requests for additional information can be directed to:

2018 Sustaining FAMILIES

DARS received $23,145 from the Virginia Center on Aging (VCOA)] to provide training for 15 counselors in the evidence-based New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI) program to support caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Using funds from two previous federal grants (see above), the NYUCI had been adapted for Virginia and rebranded as FAMILIES (Family Access to Memory Impairment and Loss Information, Engagement and Supports). FAMILIES has been demonstrated to reduce caregiver depression and stress, and increase self-efficacy.

DARS partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, the University of Virginia’s Memory and Aging Care Clinic and the Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health to identify trainees. FAMILIES counselors are available in several areas of Virginia, and this program of six individual and family counseling sessions may attract a fee. Please contact the Dementia Services Director to be connected with FAMILIES counselors by phone (804) 662 9154 or email george.worthington@dars.virginia.gov.

2019 Expanding Dealing with Dementia

DARS received $24,618 from the Virginia Center on Aging (VCOA) to provide training for 20 trainers in the evidence-informed Dealing With Dementia program developed by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving Using a guidebook developed for the evidence-based Resources Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH II) intervention. The Dealing With Dementia Guide for Caregivers provides caregivers of people living with dementia with information about dementia, practical strategies for coping with the associated challenges, and help with managing their own self-care. Dealing With Dementia trainers facilitate four-hour workshops to help caregivers effectively use the Guide. This grant expanded the availability of this program from the Williamsburg and Richmond areas to most of Northern, Western and Southwestern Virginia. Please contact the Dementia Services Director by phone (804) 662 9154 or email george.worthington@dars.virginia.gov to be connected with workshops in your area or with virtual workshops. The grant also provided materials to support more than 750 participants to attend workshops at no cost.

Program Materials

Virginia Dementia Specialized Supportive Services Project

In 2015, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) was awarded a nearly $1 million grant from the Administration for Community Living under the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative—Specialized Supportive Services program to develop several innovative programs to support people living with dementia and their care partners and to work towards several goals of the 2015-2019 Dementia State Plan. Two of the programs resulted in replication manuals which are available below.

Collaborative Care CoordinationDownload Manual

The award-winning Collaborative Care Coordination Program presents a model of person-centered care coordination incorporating a relationship between a memory assessment and treatment clinic and a local Area Agency on Aging. In this case, the University of Virginia’s Memory and Aging Care Clinic collaborated with the Jefferson Area Board for Aging to deliver this program from Charlottesville, Virginia.

More than 200 individuals living with cognitive impairment and their caregivers enrolled in the program from across the state. Over the program period, participants reported fewer symptoms of depression, reduced caregiver burden, feeling better prepared for the future, and strong satisfaction with the program.

The program was awarded a Virginia Commonwealth Council on Aging Best Practice Award and an n4a (National Association of Area Agencies of Aging) Aging Innovation Award in the Health-LTSS Integration category.

Effective Strategies ProgramDownload Manual

The Effective Strategies Program is an educational and social program designed to support people living independently with dementia or cognitive impairment.

This is an evidence-informed program is adapted from a program delivered in Paris, France. The program consists of 18 sessions over nine weeks. Each session is 90 minutes, with an hour of instruction and 30 minutes of discussion and socializing over snacks.

Sessions are led by a variety of experts in fields such as psychology, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and social work, and involved support from the Alzheimer’s Association.

The program was found to be highly valued and beneficial to the participants, who indicated high satisfaction in learning about memory and concrete strategies to help them continue to live independently in the community.

CONTACT US

1610 Forest Avenue, Suite 100
Henrico, Virginia 23229
Phone: 804-662-9333 V/TTY
Toll Free: 800-552-3402 V/TTY

aginginfo@dars.virginia.gov

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Dementia Services

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