Cleveland Clinic, The American Academy of Physician Associates, Pa Foundation, & Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative to Launch Early Detection Toolkit for Alzheimer’s

Cleveland Clinic, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), and the PA Foundation are recipients of a grant from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), the organization leading a global response to Alzheimer’s disease. The grant will be used to develop an innovative cognitive assessment toolkit that provides a standard protocol and training resources for providers in primary care settings.

The organizations are collaborating to develop a pilot cognitive assessment toolkit for medical providers to increase rates of cognitive screenings of older adults by equipping advanced practice providers (APPs) with the skills needed to perform and interpret the assessments.

The toolkit will address key areas for providers, including cognitive screening tools and protocols, administering screenings, and training and educational resources to interpret results and facilitate conversations with patients. Additionally, the toolkit will include practice-based provider and patient resources. The pilot implementation, led by providers from Cleveland Clinic Community Care, will be followed by outcomes reporting and dissemination of the toolkit to a broader audience of health systems.

“Providing a standardized approach to cognitive screenings for older adults is crucial,” said Nathan Hart, MS, MBA, PA-C., project lead and NP/PA director for Cleveland Clinic Community Care. “Equipping our nurse practitioners and physician assistants with the skills and resources needed to perform these assessments will allow us to increase early detection of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.”

“We are excited to welcome Cleveland Clinic, the AAPA, and the PA Foundation to our global movement to promote early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s and to help link and scale their successes with our partners around the world,” said George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of the Board, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder and the most common type of dementia. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but early detection is key. Therapeutic interventions for those in mid-life with early Alzheimer’s disease are now viewed as critical to unlocking a potential 40% reduction in late-life Alzheimer’s.

“Alzheimer’s is expected to affect 150 million families worldwide by 2050. Early detection is key to supporting the individuals and families who will face this devastating disease,” said AAPA CEO Lisa M. Gables, CPA. “As patient-centered, team-based healthcare professionals, PAs are committed to doing their part in the fight against Alzheimer’s. AAPA and the PA Foundation are honored to receive this grant from the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and to be a part of this work that will have a global impact.”

Cleveland Clinic, AAPA and the PA Foundation will join a network of 12 grant projects, all part of the DAC Healthcare System Preparedness project, which aim to advance how healthcare systems worldwide detect, diagnose, treat, and care for people with or at risk for Alzheimer’s.

Cleveland Clinic, AAPA, and the PA Foundation will have an opportunity to extend the project’s impact by sharing best practices through DAC Learning Labs, communities of practice events, and other fora, all designed to share learnings and successes with healthcare systems around the globe.