A telehealth program popular among patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can boost outcomes for these patients, ease the burden on caregivers and lower Medicare costs, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers from the University of California-San Francisco evaluated the program, which was hosted through the telecare platform Care Ecosystem, on 780 older adults with dementia. Participants were randomized into two groups. One received telephone-based collaborative dementia care through the platform, delivered by a trained care team navigator, who provided education, support and care coordination with a team of dementia specialists, including an advanced practice nurse, social worker, and pharmacist. The other group received dementia care as usual.
After approximately one year, those in the telehealth group had average Medicare costs $526 lower than those receiving the usual model of care. This finding follows previous research by UCSF that found that the percentage of caregivers in the Care Ecosystem program with moderate-to-severe depression dropped from 13.4% to 7.9% over the course of a year, versus an upswing in depression among caregivers in the usual care cohort. Additionally, quality of life for patients in the Care Ecosystem was ranked higher, according to this research.
The investigators noted that the telecare program will launch even more broadly in July 2024, and will be available to patients with dementia who live either at home or in assisted living communities. They must be covered by Medicare fee-for-service or have dual Medicare and Medicaid eligibility. The program will include navigators that assist with drugs, transportation, respite care and day care.
“The challenges of providing constant support to patients with dementia can take a heavy emotional, physical and financial toll on unpaid caregivers. This program will enable the caregiver system to shift from crisis-oriented to proactive,” said senior author Katherine Possin, PhD, of the UCSF Department of Neurology, and co-founder of the Care Ecosystem.
From the November 2023 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
