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A patient with gray hair and glasses smiles while consulting with a doctor.

Aging Brain Care at AHN

Living with dementia — or caring for someone who has dementia — can be incredibly hard. The person with dementia has to face living with a terminal illness while trying to stay independent for as long as possible. Loved ones often become informal caregivers, overwhelmed with exhaustion, depression, and financial strain while not being able to focus on their own health and well-being.

The AHN Aging Brain Care program, part of geriatric primary care at AHN, can help support patients with dementia and their loved ones. Our goal is to improve quality of life for patients with dementia and their caregivers by reducing caregiver stress, expanding the caregiver's support network, and providing connections to resources in the community.

AHN also participates in the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model, a voluntary program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. GUIDE is testing the impact of providing comprehensive services and support for people with dementia and their caregivers and is available for Medicare members.

The Aging Brain Care team works with primary caregivers and other care partners who are supporting individuals living with dementia. The program is led by a geriatric specialized medical director. Our team includes a:

  • Behavioral health consultant or mental health professional, who starts the enrollment process into the Aging Brain Care program and coordinates the overall care plan for the patient and their caregiver. They also can help caregivers manage grief and stress, as well as offer emotional support.
  • Dementia-specialized social worker, who helps caregivers find services and resources in their community, depending on their needs.
  • Caregiver coach (community health worker), who works with caregivers to help them navigate the day-to-day challenges of caring for someone with dementia. They provide in-home or virtual education and coaching to ensure the best quality of life possible for both the caregiver and person with dementia.

Caregivers can meet with any or all of our team members depending on their needs.

Types of dementia

Dementia describes a group of symptoms caused by permanent damage to or changes in the brain's nerve cells (neurons). These symptoms affect memory, thinking, judgment, language, movement, and other activities. It's important to remember that dementia is not a normal part of aging.

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease are not the same thing. Alzheimer's disease is one of many things that can cause dementia. Other types of dementia or conditions that cause dementia include:

  • Vascular dementia
  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Lewy body dementia
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

How we can help

Our coordinated care team has specialized training in dementia and can help:

  • Caregivers manage grief, stress, and other concerns.
  • Provide emotional support.
  • Connect caregivers with services and resources within their community.
  • Caregivers feel confident in navigating the day-to-day challenges of caring for someone with dementia.

Getting a referral

Talk to your primary care provider about getting a referral to the Aging Brain Care program or GUIDE program for Medicare members. Once we receive a referral from your provider, we'll reach out to you with what comes next.

If you are interested in meeting with a geriatrician or neurologist, call (412) DOCTORS 412-362-8677 to schedule an appointment. If you do not currently see an AHN provider, we may recommend making an appointment with one of our geriatricians or neurologists to make sure you're eligible for AHN Aging Brain Care program services.

Refer your patient to the Aging Brain Care or GUIDE program

To make a patient referral to either program, place an order into EPIC. Our team will review the order and patient's chart, then reach out to the patient directly for an assessment.