Dementia Diagnostic Clinics in Wisconsin

The clickable map above highlights the dementia diagnostic clinics in Wisconsin. Clicking on a symbol will take you to a page with further information on that particular clinic. Those affiliated with the WAI are symbolized by the red circle and all others are symbolized by a yellow triangle.

Click here for a comprehensive list of dementia diagnostic clinics in Wisconsin.

Click here for more information about the steps to making a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

WAI-Affiliated Dementia Diagnostic Clinic Network

A major program of the WAI is to encourage the development of accessible quality dementia diagnostic services for the people of Wisconsin. Outreach staff partner with community agencies, health care organizations and physicians to assess the need for and to support the development of multidisciplinary diagnostic services that will promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as support for family caregivers. The goals of the program are to:

• Improve access to quality dementia diagnostic services throughout Wisconsin
• Improve access to education and supportive services for family caregivers
• Participate in systematic and high quality data collection for research and public policy purposes
• Provide education and support to physicians and their multidisciplinary teams offering dementia diagnostic services

Dementia diagnostic clinics that are affiliated with the network receive training at and guidance from the WAI and the UW Memory Assessment Clinic. Clinics are autonomous. Voluntary participation in the network provides clinic staff an opportunity for education and support from their peers. Guidelines for these dementia diagnostic clinics are as follows:

1. The clinic must provide interdisciplinary care that at a minimum includes the services of a physician, social worker or equivalent and neuropsychologist or similarly trained personnel.
2. The clinic should be affiliated with a medical organization that provides space, scheduling assistance and modern laboratory and radiology services.
3. All clinics must have a relationship with their local Alzheimer’s Association Chapter that will provide longitudinal education and support to persons affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
4. The medical evaluation must be provided by a qualified physician, physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner who has been trained in neurology, psychiatry or geriatrics.
5. Diagnosis to follow DSM-IV and NINCDS Criteria for Alzheimer’s disease, DSM-IV criteria for vascular dementia, and relevant research diagnostic criteria for MCI, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia
6. Cognitive testing must include at least a brief cognitive battery that evaluates key areas in a validated standardized manner.
   • Strongly encourage use of the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).
   • For clinical purposes only, an alternative is to choose a separate measure from each of the following categories:
1. A standardized cognitive mental status exam
2. A category fluency measure
3. A standardized measure of visual praxis
4. A word list learning test
5. A brief standardized measure of executive function
• Cognitive test data should be supported by information about everyday cognitive function provided by a family member or other close informant
7. Psychological assessment to include screening for depression.
8. Information gathered from an informant at the time of diagnosis will include IADL and ADL functional screens.
9. A caregiver burden assessment will be included in the initial visit and referral for information and services made to appropriate community services, if indicated.
10. Clinics are encouraged to participate in a systematic and high quality data collection.
11. Physicians and other clinic staff must be willing to attend annual CME and organizational meetings sponsored by the WAI.

For more information about clinic development or the WAI-Affiliated Dementia Diagnostic Clinic Network, contact Barbara Lawrence at 608-829-3302 or blawrence@wisc.edu.