CAREMORE EXPANDS ITS
BRAIN HEALTH PROGRAM TO TUCSON
According
to the State of Arizona, by 2020 one in four Arizonians will be over the age of
60. With such a dramatic rise in the aging population, programs targeted toward
this age group are more important than ever. CareMore, a Medicare advantage health
plan that exclusively serves the senior population has recently expanded its
Brain Health program to the Tucson area to promote prevention and treatment for
those affected by dementia and other conditions that affect mental health. The
Brain Health Program is a great early intervention program for patients and
their caregivers. It was first launched in CareMore’s Southern California
market and has been well received.
Early
results show that CareMore’s Brain Health Program reduced emergency room
visits, hospitalizations and falls. Nearly two-thirds of caregivers assumed an
active role in monitoring medication for their loved one and 94 percent said
they felt the program improved their understanding of dementia as well as their
ability to provide better care.
“Patients with dementia
and Alzheimer’s are profoundly mismanaged,” Dr. Pratty said. “After some
struggle, they are given diagnoses — but little else in terms of guidance and
support. This results in costly and unhelpful diagnostic workups, and countless
avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Meanwhile, the patient
often suffers from profound feelings of loneliness, isolation and
hopelessness.”
Dr. James
Pratty, senior medical officer for behavioral health and psychiatry at CareMore,
and his team designed a model of care for those with brain health issues. It
starts with identifying brain health patients early and assigning them to a
multidisciplinary team that takes a broad view of their illness, including
providing them with information on fall prevention, medication safety and
adherence, legal documentation and nutrition.
No comments:
Post a Comment