Aging and Disability Network of Saratoga County Meeting Minutes 1/9/18

Aging and Disability Network Meeting Minutes 1/9/18

Present: Lindsay Stanislowsky (Alzheimer’s Association NENY), Patrick Harrington (Saratoga OFA), Ben Nichols (SAROFA), Rachael Fragomeni (SAROFA), Emma Schmitt (SAROFA), Mary Rickard (SAROFA), Tena Bunnell (Home Helpers), Mary Moller (AMC- CEAD), Donna Rudzinski (Shenendehowa Village), Kym Hance (Herzog Law Firm), Megan Decker (Brookdale East Niskayuna), Ginger McGehee (Brookdale Colonie), Sharon Emerson (St. Peter’s CHOICES), Carissa Kumlander (Saratoga Senior Center), Veronica LeStage (VNS), Shelli Crogan (Interim Health Care), Maria Geizer (Home Instead Senior Care).

Introductions and Announcements: The next Aging and Disability Meetings are as follows:

February 13 at Malta Community Center- Dr. Michael Prezioso, Director of Saratoga County Mental Health will speak on the services provided by that agency.

March 13 at Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church-Theresa Alger from Young Living Essential Oils will speak on the benefits of essential oils.

April 10 at St. Edward’s Church in Clifton Park- Jenna Gladfelter from the NYS Senior Medicare Patrol will speak on the background of SMP along with handing out materials with information regarding important information about Medicare.  She will also cover information regarding the new Medicare card.
 ***In the event of inclement weather, the Aging & Disability Network will follow the cancellation schedule for the Saratoga County Senior Meal Delivery; if the meal delivery is cancelled, then our meeting will also be cancelled.  Cancellations will be posted on most major news networks.

Today’s Topic and Presenter: Overview of the Albany Med Center for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Disease (CEAD), presented by Mary Moller, MSW, CAS, Program Specialist.

The Alzheimer's Center at Albany Med, established in 2002, provides diagnostic services and treatment, participates in national clinical research studies, and offers resources through the Anne B. and Leon J. Goldberg Alzheimer's Resource Program to thousands of patients and their families. 

Currently there are over 48 million people living with dementia globally. This number will increase by 281% in 2050, to over 131 million.

Currently in NYS 390,000 individuals living with AD, will grow to 460,000 by 2025. 

 In 2015, NYS response was the implementation of a $25 million Alzheimer’s Disease Support Initiative, the first of its kind in the nation to support people with AD and their care partners.

CEAD Services:

Interdisciplinary and comprehensive medical services for the diagnosis of AD/D (Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias).

Coordinated treatment and care management for individuals living with AD/D. 

The interdisciplinary team is available to assist providers, practitioners and community partners. 

Provide public awareness of AD/D for the importance of early screening and diagnosis

Provide diagnosis and assessment support services for patients (ones that are complicated), become a partner in providing care in local communities.  

Social Work staff can assist case managers with case management functions, linkages to resources

Education and training

Expert training for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and management of AD/HD

This training is available to:

·         Physicians

·         Healthcare professionals

·         Allied health professionals

·         Community providers

·         Students

Types of Dementia:

  Vascular dementia

•Dementia with Lewy Bodies (LBD)

•Mixed Dementia

•Parkinson's Disease

•Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

• •Huntington's Disease

•Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Potentially Preventable

Cerebrovascular dementia (multi-infarct)

Dementia with MS

Uncommon Treatable non- neurodegenerative

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)

Brain tumor

Hypothyroidism

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Infection: AIDS, syphilis, Sepsis

Lewy body dementias (LBD) - are the second most common form of degenerative dementia

•       LBD can have three common presentations:

•       Movement disorders :

•       Tremors, stiffness, slowness and difficulty walking

•       Cognitive/memory disorder:      

•       Fluctuations in cognition, attention or alertness

•       Impaired thinking, such as loss of executive function (planning, processing information), memory, or the ability to understand visual information

•       Neuropsychiatric symptoms:

•       Visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not present)

Fronto-temporal Degeneration (FTD) –

•       Onset of FTD often occurs in a person’s 50’s and 60’s

•       Affects behavior/personality changes, language difficulty, and motor change

•       Memory usually relatively preserved

•       Difficulty to plan or organize activities, behave appropriately in social or work settings, interact with others, and care for oneself, resulting in increasing dependency on caregivers.

•       Symptoms can be misinterpreted as depression, anxiety or normal aging

•       Diagnosis is often delayed

•       Importance of proper evaluation

Vascular Dementia:

•       Vascular dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain, depriving brain cells of vital oxygen and nutrients.

•       Formerly called multi-infarct dementia because it was thought to only be caused by small strokes

•       Vascular dementia often occurs alongside AD, resulting in mixed dementia

•       Risk factors for Vascular Dementia include heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol

Benefits of early diagnosis for family members and care partners:

•       Can increase opportunities to learn about the patient’s current and upcoming symptoms, deficits, challenges, behavioral changes and safety issues associated with disease progression

•       Contributes to better informed decision making regarding optimal in home care and long-term placement options

Benefits early detection and diagnosis for the patients:

•       Gives patients an opportunity to better understand their diagnosis and what to expect

•       Allows patients the ability to make choices about treatment options including potential access to the latest experimental treatments and clinical trials

•       Gives patients more time to make future plans regarding employment, financial and legal arrangements, healthcare directives and long-term planning before cognition further declines.

For more information on what the Albany Medical Center CEAD can do for patients, families and the community, please call 518-262-0800.