DEMENTIA CARE SPECIALIST UPDATE

The mission of the Dementia Care Specialist (DCS) Program is to support people living with dementia and their care partners so they can enjoy the highest quality of life. The DCS will accomplish this by creating community partnerships through outreach, providing memory screenings, and educating and building awareness for families and care partners. In collaboration with other programs and initiatives, the DCS Program is a critical component of Georgia’s efforts to become a dementia capable state. The DCS Program was developed to drive the state to become a leader to support its aging population, specifically individuals with brain change and their care partners. The program is led by a Dementia Care Specialist Lead at DAS and a DCS at each of the twelve Area Agency on Aging (AAA). The DCS Lead will support the DCS through programming, skill building, data, and resource development.

The mission will be executed by doing the following:

1. Provide dementia specific training for AAA staff, providers, and partners.

2. Raise awareness about the importance of early detection and screening.

3. Provide dementia-specific community education.

4. Provide education and support to people with cognitive concerns or dementia and their families.

5. Refer individuals to community resources.

As the new DCS, I am here to be a resource for our region. I want to help bring awareness to what dementia is, educate

byDanyelle Oates

others on how to live collaboratively, and provide accessible resources and community connections. At this time, I am participating in some exciting training and certification courses to become the region’s knowledge expert on dementia. One certification that I have completed is the Virtual Dementia Tour Certified Trainer, which means I can train others to become facilitators of the tour and offer to set up the tour with our community partners so others can experience what life looks like with dementia. I am looking forward to hosting education courses and training for our AAA staff and community members, and collaborating with other agencies as well.