Statewide Screening, Early Diagnosis and Services Projects

Memory Screening Initiative

The Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services are collaborating with county-based Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) and Care Management Organizations (CMO) located in Richland, La Crosse and Milwaukee Counties, and the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association Chapter Network to develop a systems approach to promoting diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

The overall goal is to develop a simple but effective cognitive screening program in which county staff perform an abbreviated cognitive screen (60-second animal naming task) to all clients age 65 and over and a second more thorough cognitive screen (Cognistat/Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination-NCSE) to those who score positive on the animal naming task.

Cognistat test results are provided to the client’s primary care physician who are offered training in the interpretation of the tests and the differential diagnosis of cognitive impairment.

Physicians have the option to determine the cause of cognitive impairment or to refer for additional testing to a dementia diagnosis consultant. Because cognitive screening and testing are performed by county staff, there is no cost to the patient. After diagnosis, the counties, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association Chapter Network, provide care management, education and support to clients and their families.

Memory Care Connections

A complementary project to the Wisconsin Memory Screening Initiative is the Memory Care Connections project. Memory Care Connections is providing memory screening, education, information and referral services, and enhanced linkage of medical and non-medical partnersinvolved in memory diagnostic and treatment services for older adults. This project has been implemented in four Wisconsin counties or groups of counties(Barron-Chippewa-Dunn-and Eau Claire consortium; Door-Kewaunee consortium; Jefferson County; and Rock County) and involves partnerships between county aging units, human services, local Alzheimer’s support organizations, the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, and the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute.

Memory Care Connections will provide education to older to older adults and aging services organizations to increase awareness of the value of early identification and treatment of dementia symptoms, and will provide the same 2-step memory screening as in the Memory Screening Initiative. Memory Care Connections staff will facilitate referrals of persons with memory problems to physicians for diagnostic assessment and potential treatment and access to community-based support services.

Memory Care Connections funding also provides funding for respite services.

Please contact Barbara Lawrence at the WAI, 608-829-3302 or blawrence@wisc.edu for more information on the Memory Screening Initiative or the Memory Care Connections projects.