Health Professionals Education
A strong, competent and robust health care and public health workforce is essential to address the rising tide of Alzheimer's and other dementias. Public health professionals play a role in educating other health and health care professionals.
Educating health care professionals: What public health can do
In working with health care professionals, examples of public health could:
- Ensure that health care providers — including primary and specialty care clinicians — are trained to recognize the early warning signs of cognitive impairment, advise patients how they may reduce the risk of cognitive decline and possibly of dementia, and refer families affected by dementia for care and support services.
- Conduct outreach to health care professionals about the importance of promoting caregivers' health and supporting their role in managing dementia. At the same time, public health can ensure that professionals are able to teach their caregiver-patients how to safely care for someone living with dementia.
- Educate providers about the importance of care planning. Clinicians can be reimbursed for providing comprehensive care planning services to individuals with cognitive impairment. Reimbursable under CPT® billing code 99483, care planning services include cognitive and safety evaluations, a caregiver interview and planning for palliative care needs.
- Train health care professionals on the importance of early detection and diagnosis. Training should include when and how to perform cognitive assessments, and how to document and disclose a diagnosis.
Educating the public health workforce: What public health can do
To educate the public health workforce, examples of public health action include:
- Training public health workers on the life-course approach to dementia. Public health interventions that address dementia can occur at any age.
- Regularly sharing data related to cognitive health, dementia and caregiving with the public health workforce. Consider the state-specific data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Cognitive Decline and Caregiver modules, state or local needs assessments, and hospital and health systems data.
- Ensuring the public health workforce understands the basics of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, why Alzheimer’s is a public health issue, and how public health can intervene to help reduce risk, enhance early detection, and improve safety and quality of care.
State success: Training professionals in Utah and Colorado
The Utah Department of Health trained hundreds of health professionals, caregivers and people living with dementia about effective communication strategies for people with cognitive impairment and ways to promote independence. Read the case study to learn more.
In Colorado, the Department of Public Health and Environment partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to provide training to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel about the unique communication and behavioral challenges posted by cognitive impairment and dementia. Read the full case study to learn more.
Education resources for health care professionals
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) created an online course for physicians about the benefits of addressing blood pressure management as a way to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Education resources for public health professionals
- Community Health Workers: A Resource for Healthy Aging and Addressing Dementia (PDF) explores how community health workers (CHWs) can promote healthy aging and help address some of the challenges related to Alzheimer's and all dementia. It also includes examples of state health department initiatives to train and support CHWs as they educate their communities about healthy aging and cognitive health, provide supportive services, encourage early detection of cognitive impairment and dementia, and help caregivers for people living with dementia access available support.
- A Public Health Approach to Alzheimer's and Other Dementias is available for use by public health schools and public health professionals. It is a free, introductory curriculum intended to increase awareness of the impact of Alzheimer's and other dementias as well as the role of public health in addressing this crisis.