How a team approach treats changes in cognition
CenterLight Teamcare, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), approaches healthcare differently than a typical managed long-term care plan (MLTC). The strength of our program lies in the skill and dedication of our diverse range of healthcare professionals, including our network of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, social workers and recreational therapists.
“All-Inclusive Care for Cognitive Issues” is the 2nd installment of a series outlining how CenterLight Teamcare’s Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) helps manage and treat a full range of health issues that impact older adults and their families. This blog focuses on IDT members’ roles in helping participants with cognitive disorders. We will provide information on services offered in the home and our day health centers in a later post. You may view the 1st installment of this series, focusing on hormonal health, by clicking here.
What are Cognitive Disorders?
Cognitive ability – the capacity to clearly think, learn, and remember – is important to our overall ability to function independently. The staff at CenterLight Teamcare is specially trained to help our participants with common cognitive issues as such as Alzheimer’s Disease, depression and dementia.
Cognitive Disorders include:
Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.*
A stroke occurs when blood flow stops to an area of the brain.
Dementia is an overall term for conditions characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person's ability to perform everyday activities.*
In this video, Stephanie Louie, Clinical Service Director at CenterLight Teamcare in Flushing, described the role of each member of the Interdisciplinary Team in caring for a participant who had a stroke.
A TEAM** TO SUPPORT COGNITIVE ISSUES
CenterLight Teamcare participants diagnosed with cognitive disorders get all the treatment, supplies and other services they need. Their care is provided by members of the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT), including, but not limited to, the following:
Doctors and Nurses
A doctor monitors a participant’s progress and prescribes any medications or therapies that they may need. The nurses in our centers and in the community help them with medication administration and education.
Rehabilitation Therapists
Physical and occupational therapists address functional limitations the participant has. Our rehabilitation staff works with the participant in making sure they regain their maximum level of function. For example, they help with strengthening the participant’s ability to walk again and do exercises that can result to regaining and maintaining their muscle tone.
Social Worker
A social worker can help participants apply for any benefits or assistance they might need like SNAP or food stamps.
Dietitian
A dietitian educates the participant and their caregiver regarding which foods they can and cannot eat to help them recover and maintain their health. Depending on the participant’s care plan, the dietitian may visit the participant’s home with a speech therapist to evaluate if they can still swallow safely.
Therapeutic Recreation Specialists
Our Therapeutic Recreation Specialists engage participants in activities that help keep their cognitive abilities sharp, such as memory games. There are also arts and crafts, exercises and other programs that help participants with their motor skills.
Home Health Aides
Participants with dementia or who had a stroke may need assistance with activities of daily living due to limited physical and cognitive function. A home health aide will be assigned or their caregiver can get paid for providing home care services through CDPAS.
NEUROLOGIST
CenterLight Teamcare has a large number of specialists in our network. Participants who had a stroke or are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and other types of dementia will need a neurologist to recommend appropriate treatment, monitor improvements and minimize decline in their condition.
Psychiatrist
Any change in condition can affect a person’s mood. People who had a stroke, for example, may suffer from depression caused by the physical limitations that resulted from the disease. A psychiatrist from Teamcare’s large network of specialists can be pulled in to help.
Having a full team is great for participants because we’re addressing every aspect of their care and not just their medical issues. We can address their social concerns. If specified in their care plan, we can provide equipment they might need, like a hospital bed, a commode or a shower chair for safety moving forward. These things might not be things they needed in the past but after a stroke or a similar medical condition they might need to alter their lives a little bit and the IDT can help them achieve that.
Look out for our blog post with more information on these services.
*Alzheimer's Association: https://www.alz.org
**CenterLight Teamcare’s Interdisciplinary Team includes, but is not limited to, physicians, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, nutritionists, therapeutic recreation specialists and transportation coordinators. Depending on the participant's care plan, home health aides; pharmacists; and in-network neurologists, psychologists, ophthalmologists and other specialists may be brought in to ensure that our participants are receiving all the care and services they need.
H3329_2020_BLOGCognitive Approved 01312020
Last updated January 22, 2020
about the writers
Stephanie Louie, RN, is the Clinical Service Director at Teamcare’s Flushing center, and has worked at CenterLight for more than 2 years.
Riva Horenstein, RN, is the Assistant Director of Intake Assessments at Teamcare. She has been working at CenterLight for more than 2 years.
