When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the shock of the news can be overwhelming. It’s as if the family has been dropped onto the surface of the moon.
The scenery changes in an instant, and everything you thought you knew about what your life would look like changes. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive and there’s no cure; your loved one has been given a death sentence. However, the journey is one you’ll be going on as well.
Now what? That’s the biggest question in the room as the doctor drops the bad news. “Get your affairs in order” was one of the things said to me and my husband, Tony, when he was told he had early onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2015.
At least we were pointed in the direction of an elder law specialist, so that we could at least get the basics in place.
We also reached out to the Alzheimer’s Association locally, and we were able to sit down with a counselor to get an overview of what lay ahead. Still, it was a lot to take in, and I’m not sure how much sank in.
That’s why I’m more than a little hopeful about a new partnership between the Alzheimer’s Association and Rippl, a dementia care specialist company. The launch of the Dementia Care Navigation Service just might be the resource a lot of us have been hoping for.
This new service aims to provide comprehensive, personalized support for people living with dementia and their caregivers every step of the way.
A lot of us have had to figure out this journey as we’ve gone along. We’ve been able to cobble together information from sources like the Alzheimer’s Association, from support groups and from what we can get from our loved one’s doctors. Even so, no doubt a lot of us feel like we might be missing something, particularly as the disease progresses and our loved one resembles their former self less and less.
Key features of the Dementia Care Navigation Service include a care navigator to help coordinate care and develop a care plan; clinical support, including medication management and counseling; access to Alzheimer’s Association resources and education; and a 24/7 helpline.
“Receiving a dementia diagnosis is overwhelming,” Delia Jervier, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Chapter, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, too often, you are given a diagnosis and left to figure out next steps on your own. Having direct access to someone who can answer your questions and connect you to local care and support resources is going to help dementia caregivers incredibly.”
It’s easy to see why this just might be what a lot of us caregivers have been wanting but not quite sure where to find it, or if it even existed.
The partnership has been accepted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be part of the eight-year pilot program Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, which will test an alternative payment for participants who deliver key support services to those with dementia and their caregivers. That includes comprehensive, personalized assessments and care plans, care coordination and 24/7 access to a support line.
“The Alzheimer’s Association is excited to increase access to quality dementia care to thousands of individuals and caregivers in Illinois who desperately need it,” Olivia Matongo, vice president of the Alzheimer’s Association Illinois Chapter, said in the release. “Our partnership with Rippl and the new Dementia Care Navigation Service will provide comprehensive care and support to help make the dementia care journey a little easier – guiding people living with dementia and their caregivers each step of the way.”
For more information about the Dementia Care Navigation Service or to speak with a Rippl engagement specialist, visit ripplcare.com/alz or call 855-271-2662.
• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.
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