By Vanessa Orr
For the past 25 years, the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center (MWC) has been helping families dealing with the complex needs of persons with memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) through a variety of specialized programs. This year, the state-designated memory disorder clinic is partnering with the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health, as a respite partner under the federal Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model.
Patients on Medicare with a dementia diagnosis can receive up to $2,500 annually to use toward Medicare-funded respite services, such as the Memory and Wellness Center’s Adult Day Care program and Sustaining the Caregiver Program.
“Baptist Health provides these recipients with specialized medical care, and we provide caregiver support, an adult day care program, and a number of no-cost services including education, support groups and seminars,” explained Alice W. Brumley, DNP, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, interim director, Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University. “It’s a natural fit between our two agencies.”
As a result of the partnership, Dr. Brumley said that families will find it easier to navigate care. “A lot of families have trouble navigating the healthcare system as it is, and the dementia aspect makes it especially difficult as patients aren’t able to participate in their own care; it all falls on the care partner,” she said. “As one of Baptist’s community partners, they can trust that our services are well-vetted and know the quality of care that they’ll be receiving.”
Reaching Out for Resources
While some care partners may be wary about utilizing an adult day care program or other dementia-related resources, GUIDE respite care dollars make it easier to take that first step.
“Many people may not know what services are available to them, but once they see what tremendous benefits these programs offer, they often want to do more,” said Dr. Brumley, noting that participants in the Adult Day Care program not only enjoy the experience, but also show better behavior at home as they have been kept engaged throughout the day.
“They aren’t sitting in front of a TV, isolated in the home,” said Dr. Brumley. “Their care partners report that after day care, these individuals are more lively, engaged, calmer and happier.”
The Adult Day Care program is designed to stimulate participants cognitively, physically and socially in a safe environment. Activities include reminiscence therapy, exercises for hand-eye coordination, painting classes, chair aerobics, chair dancing, live music, drumming, guest lecturers and more.
In addition to structured activities every day and every hour, special events include bringing miniature ponies into the courtyard, therapy dogs once a month, and robotic, interactive cats that purr as part of the animal therapy program.
“We work to enhance cognitive stimulation, meeting each person where they are and engaging the skills that they have through activities like folding laundry, working with tool sets, doing sorting exercises and more,” said Dr. Brumley. “These activities help to stimulate the brain while they are enjoying themselves.”
She notes that families have been able to postpone moving their loved ones into long-term care by using daycare services, enabling them to age in place safely and avoiding the high costs of assisted living and associated health issues.
While the pilot program is scheduled to run for eight years, participants can continue to access MWC’s programs after their allotted funds run out through private pay or through scholarships supported by the Caring Heart Auxiliary, the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, and other generous community donors. MWC also has an array of no-cost services, including in-person and virtual care partner support programming and educational programs.
“We see this collaboration as an opportunity for local families to learn about our adult day care scholarships,” said Dr. Brumley. “For eligible participants, these scholarships mean they can continue to receive the services beyond the period covered by GUIDE respite funding.”
“As part of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, the Louis and Anne Green Memory and Wellness Center plays a vital role in advancing compassionate, person-centered care,” said Dean Cameron Duncan, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, CNE, FAANP. “We are excited to see the center’s involvement in the GUIDE model expand access to critical services that support individuals with dementia, their care partners and families across our community.”
Those interested in MWC’s programs or the GUIDE program are welcome to contact MWC for a tour or a trial visit for their loved ones.
“Another benefit when they come to the center is that our social worker does a patient and family evaluation to determine their needs,” Dr. Brumley said. “As a memory disorder clinic, we offer a full gamut of cognitive testing, which helps us in guiding them to treatment and getting them connected to the right resources.”
For more information, visit www.faunursing.org/MWC or call (561) 297-0102.
