University Hospital Foundation launches new initiative to aid dementia patients and families in Alberta

The University Hospital Foundation has announced a new project designed to provide support for individuals living with dementia in Alberta and their families.

The project is called the Dementia Care Pathways Project, an initiative aimed at transforming how dementia is diagnosed and supported. 

Led by University of Alberta researchers Dr. Adrian Wagg and Dr. Holly Symonds-Brown, the Dementia Care Pathways Project aims to help family physicians and primary care providers detect early signs of dementia, identify needed community supports, and gather data about dementia in the province.

“By creating a system-level care pathway from the perspective of the end-user and designed to address many of the obstacles to early diagnosis, we hope to overcome the torturous and fragmented journey that many adults with cognitive concerns and their care partners face in today’s healthcare system,” said Dr. Wagg.

Wagg and Symonds-Brown are taking a co-design approach with care providers, families, and people living with dementia, and their work will focus on three pillars: a new clinical care pathway, a provincial patient registry, and social health navigation tools.

“The University Hospital Foundation is proud to partner with Drs. Wagg and Symonds-Brown and the Government of Alberta on this urgently needed primary care project,” said Dr. Jodi L. Abbott, President and CEO of the University Hospital Foundation. “With an estimated 800,000 Canadians living with dementia today and projections for that number to nearly double by 2030, this is a cause that hits home for many Albertans, and we want to ignite discoveries that will make a difference.”

Officials say the Dementia Care Pathways Project is expected to cost $3.1 million, and the University Hospital Foundation has already raised half of the funding. In addition to a $1 million grant from the Government of Alberta’s Primary Care Innovation Fund, donors are contributing funds to help improve care for Albertans living with dementia.

“The Government of Alberta is proud to partner with the foundation to improve care for people living with dementia,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventive Health Services. “With this $1-million investment through the Primary Care Innovation Fund, we are helping to create an early diagnosis and care pathway so that individuals and their families can access the right support sooner and feel better supported throughout their journey.”

Dr. Wagg and Dr. Symonds-Brown will pilot the project at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic in Edmonton and the McLeod River Primary Care Network, which has offices in Whitecourt, Edson, Mayerthorpe, and Fox Creek. 

“I hear from people living with dementia and their care partners that they often feel very much alone in their efforts to keep going on with everyday life with the changes that dementia brings,” said Dr. Symonds-Brown. “This project is about listening to people living with dementia, caregivers, and families about what works well, what’s difficult, and then co-designing solutions with them.

Officials say the project is currently inthe design phase, but they aim to start seeing patients in year two.