ABSTRACT
There are several Project ECHOs around the world that focus on dementia care in outpatient and community settings. The original projects were the development of a "one-stop telehealth assisted interdisciplinary Rural and Remote Memory Clinic", a study of health-care utilization by persons with dementia and their caregivers in rural settings and an evaluation of a special program in two rural long-term care facilities. If residents in remote locations can access specialty care for dementia, they are likely to realize benefits that very busy primary care providers in their small towns don't have the time, staff, or expertise to provide. Hospital care can be especially hazardous for people with dementia given their high risk for delirium and poor outcomes from surgery and medical treatment. Tax policies to help offset direct care costs, increased access to technology, and paid family leave could address the needs of unpaid caregivers for older adults with dementia.
