Piloting patient navigation for people with dementia, their caregivers, and members of the care team

Dementia rates among Canadians are on the rise. As a result, dementia care has become an increasingly important issue for many families and healthcare providers. Dementia care can be complex and challenging, as there are many factors to consider. In addition to addressing the physical, emotional, and cognitive needs of the person living with dementia (PwD), it is also important to consider the needs of their caregivers/care partners. Seeking support and guidance from healthcare professionals, support groups, and other resources, such as patient navigation (PN) services, can be helpful in managing the many challenges that come with living with dementia and caring for someone with dementia. Navigating Dementia NB/Naviguer la démence NB is a program that aimed to guide PwD and their caregivers/care partners through the health and social care systems. The program helped to align their needs with appropriate services by connecting PwD and caregivers/care partners with services, providing information resources about dementia and care planning, and offering emotional support. 

• One of the major barriers faced by the team was the fixed timeline to implement the project. Building patient-partner relationships and interacting directly with clinics/health centers and care providers required more time.
• Participants were mostly satisfied with the services offered by the patient navigator and agreed that the PN service provided important information and resources. However, many participants faced financial barriers and/or delays in accessing some services due to longer wait times.
• The findings suggest that the PN approach can help provide important guidance and support to PwD and their caregivers/care partners by improving their knowledge of available services, improving access to services, improving the experience of navigating complex social and health care systems, and reducing the burden on caregivers/care partners.

• Integrate patient navigators into primary care in NB, with close connections to the Alzheimer Society NB and Geriatric Medicine.
• Although virtual delivery of the patient navigation intervention benefitted the participants in rural areas, the recommended approach is to include an in-person component and to incorporate the option for home-visits.
• Revise the Department of Social Development “co-pay” amount so that middle-income families can access the services related to homecare and long-term care services through Social Development.
• Decrease the wait times for long-term care placement by speeding up the process of the “History and Physical” form. Extramural nurses could complete these forms instead of physicians or nurse practitioners to avoid delay in the process.

To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 151 KB)