NEW YORK — The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) recently awarded a $5,000 grant to Cary Medical Center to train additional staff so that it can expand the operation of its memory clinic.
The award is one of 11 grants that AFA, a national nonprofit organization, presented to grassroots organizations as part of its biannual grant process to help agencies develop or enhance programs for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
With the funding, the memory clinic will train a mid-level provider who will conduct patient follow-up visits in support of an internist or specialist who travels a far distance to the clinic to see patients. As a result, it will expand from a bi-monthly to monthly outpatient service. The clinic offers diagnostic evaluation and treatment, and consultation with a social worker for individuals with dementia.
“We believe it is a unique and wonderful service for patients with dementia as well as helping to support families coping with this tragic illness,” said Bill Flag, Cary’s director of community relations and development.
With the nearest major medical center and resident neurologists 200 miles away, the Caribou-based memory clinic provides specialty consultations and medical care not readily available to many area residents who have dementia and their families. Its need is further echoed by the fact that by 2030, Maine will have the second highest percentage (26.5 percent) of people age 65 or over in the nation.
Advanced age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, which results in loss of memory and other intellectual functions. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
Eric J. Hall, AFA’s president and CEO, said the memory clinic provides an invaluable service to residents of rural Maine.
“Cary Medical Center has gone the extra mile to make sure that appropriate diagnostic and treatment services for Alzheimer’s disease are available to people in need,” he said. “This type of service will help improve quality of life.”