Providers' Portal
Dementia Capable Virginia
An initiative of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission
and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Dementia Capable Virginia is an initiative of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission and the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). This initiative provides training materials and other resources to realize Virginia’s Dementia State Plan.
For further information, please contact Dementia@dars.virginia.gov or George.Worthington@dars.virginia.gov.
Resources for Individuals and Families
Resources that can help if you are experiencing cognitive changes, or when you are providing care and support for a friend or family member
Dementia Road Map: A Guide for People Impacted by Dementia
This publication is a stage-by-stage guide to cognitive changes to help guide your journey:
- Information about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- What you should expect at each stage
- What you can do at each stage
- Recommended Action Steps
- Communication tips
- Resources to support you and your loved one
You can download the Road Map here.
Safety Concerns for People with Dementia
This publication contains information and resources to help you keep your loved one safe:
- Home Safety
- Falls Prevention
- Driving
- Wandering
- Emergency Preparedness
- Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation
You can download the Safety Concerns Toolkit here.
Dementia Fact Sheets
These Fact Sheets can help you address specific challenges that you may encounter with your loved one with dementia.
Estes Fact Sheets pueden ayudarlo a abordar los desafíos específicos que puede encontrar con su ser querido con demencia.
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SpanishResources for Health Care Professionals and Community Services Providers
Dementia Capable Virginia has sourced tools to help with screening, diagnosis, care coordination and care management in community settings
- Dementia Screening and Diagnosis
- Microlearning Modules for Primary Care Providers
- Practice Protocols for Diagnosis, Follow-Up Care, and Appropriate Referrals
- Dementia Capable Training for Community Services and No Wrong Door Providers (e.g., Area Agency on Aging staff)
IT IS IMPORTANT TO DETECT COGNITIVE CHANGES EARLY!
Early detection and diagnosis allows:
- time for patients to plan for their own future
- access to available treatments
- reduced anxiety over symptoms
- opportunity to participate in clinical trials
Dementia Screening and Diagnosis
Learn to Use Screening Tools
General Introduction | ||
| Introduction to Cognitive Screening and Administration (22 min) | Communicating Cognitive Assessment Results (17 min) | Delivering a Diagnosis (9 min) |
Microlearning Modules for Primary Care Providers
What is Microlearning?
Microlearning is an innovative way of teaching and delivering content in small, very specific bursts. It allows the learner to consume training in 5-7 minutes and apply new knowledge and skills quickly. Given the demands on primary care providers it makes sense that microlearning is a good fit. For best results view one lesson a week. This approach, as opposed to binge watching, helps you to recall and apply.
Why dementia training?
A number of studies identified that there are real opportunities to improve the interface between patients with dementia, their care partners and their primary care providers. This training focuses on person-centered approaches to caring for patients and the content is from the perspectives of people living with dementia and their care partners.
1. Demystifying Dementia (5 min, 37 sec)
2. Sharing the Diagnosis (8 min, 14 sec)
3. Providing Guidance (9 min, 14 sec)
Communicating (8 min, 2 sec)
More than Meds (7 min, 52 sec)Practice Protocols for Diagnosis, Follow-Up Care, and Appropriate Referrals
Clinical Provider Practice Tool
Walk through dementia screening, diagnostic work-up and management. Includes a discussion around disclosing a dementia diagnosis.
After a DiagnosisProvide this resource to the patient and family. This will help them think about next steps and connect them with resources and supports available in the community.
Care Coordination Practice Tool
This tool can help your practice coordinate care for those diagnosed with dementia. This tool includes a care plan checklist and stage-by-stage description of dementia progression.
Community Organization Practice Tool
This tool is aimed at organizations and agencies that provide services and supports in the community for people living with dementia, their families and care partners/caregivers.
Virginia No Wrong Door Cognitive Impairment Identification Tool
This tool will help your organization identify people with memory concerns during intake in order to provide them with appropriate referrals, services and supports.
Dementia Capable Training for Community Services and No Wrong Door Providers
Welcome to the dementia training designed to expand and standardize dementia knowledge within the No Wrong Door network, and for Community Services providers generally. These trainings utilize quality, publicly available modules. Please choose the role that most closely fits your needs: Information and Referral Specialist, Options Counselors or Care Transitions Coaches. If you do not recognize these terms, but work regularly with families living with dementia, please select Options Counselors.
After you have reviewed the trainings, please answer the quiz questions. You have three attempts to get a passing score. Once you have passed the quiz, you will receive a Certificate of Training within 15 business days. The modules each take about 2.5-3 hours to finish. If your agency's entire staff complete the trainings, DARS will provide you with a Certificate of Training for your agency. We encourage agencies to make this training part of staff onboarding to maintain dementia capability.
Any questions about this training initiative can be directed to the Dementia Services Coordinator: George.Worthington@dars.virginia.gov or 804-662-9154.
These trainings serve as a minimum standard for being dementia-capable. Please contact the Dementia Services Coordinator for help with any additional dementia training needs.
Thank you for your efforts to help make Virginia more dementia-capable! Please click on the links below to get started.
Staff Directory
