https://youtu.be/HFiFPFxXeCQ?si=_KubvOG37bWfrEEE
Description:
The current COVID-19 emergency presents new and unique challenges for individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) as well as the family and friends providing care for them. Nineteen percent of all dually eligible beneficiaries have ADRD.1 Older adults, including people with ADRD, are more susceptible to COVID-19 and more likely to experience severe outcomes of the disease.2 Dementia-related cognitive impairment may also increase risk for infection, as a result of poor infection control and reduced symptom awareness.3,4 Additionally, social isolation and changes in routine as a result of COVID-19 may lead to confusion, irritability and agitation, and sleep difficulty for individuals with ADRD.
Providers and health plans can play a key role in supporting individuals with ADRD and their caregivers as they navigate these challenges. This webinar provides information on how COVID-19 affects and presents in people with ADRD, strategies for family and friend caregivers for supporting those with ADRD living at home during COVID-19, and opportunities for health care systems to prepare to meet the needs of people with ADRD diagnosed with COVID-19. By the end of this webinar, participants should be able to:
- Describe how COVID-19 may present in older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and unique challenges facing individuals with ADRD and their caregivers during the COVID-19 public health emergency
- Identify strategies for supporting family and friend caregivers of older adults with ADRD during COVID-19 to build a daily routine, implement and use infection prevention measures, and plan ahead in case of COVID-19 diagnosis
- Identify key considerations for providing care to people with ADRD diagnosed with COVID-19 across health care settings
Featured Speakers:
- Freddi Segal-Gidan, PA, PhD; Director, USC-Rancho California Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CADC), Assistant Professor Clinical Neurology and Family Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC
- Joseph Herrera, MSW; Director, Outreach and Education, USC-Rancho CADC
- Jennifer Schlesinger, MPH, CHES; Director, Professional Training and Healthcare Services, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles
- Tom von Sternberg, MD; Senior Medical Director of Geriatrics, Home Care, and Hospice and Case Management, HealthPartners
Intended Audience:
This webinar is intended for a wide range of stakeholders, including frontline workers; caregivers; staff at health plans, including Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs), Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), and managed LTSS plans; and other health care and community-based organizations who are interested in strategies for supporting individuals with ADRD and their caregivers during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
1 Office for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: 2018 Update, 2018. Retrieved from https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/national-plan-2021-update .
2 CDC. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/.
3 Wang, H., et al. Dementia care during COVID-19, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30755-8/fulltext#seccestitle10.
4 Ellison, J. Coronavirus and Alzheimer’s Disease, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers-disease/article/covid-19-and-alzheimers-disease.