The Quebec Alzheimer Plan Provides Evidence for the Debate on Primary Care in Dementia Care, with Global Interest
CCNA Knowledge Mobilization Product (2024)
Many countries have answered the call from the World Health Organization and developed Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Plans, but few have actually implemented them in a sustainable manner. Since 2011, the Quebec Alzheimer Plan (QAP) is being implemented in Family Medicine Groups, primary care interdisciplinary clinics, across the Canadian province. The evaluation provides evidence for the debate on the feasibility of anchoring AD detection, diagnosis and management in primary care.
- The Quebec Alzheimer Plan (QAP) aims to enable and empower primary healthcare teams of physicians, nurses and/or social workers to provide access to personalized, coordinated assessments and treatment services for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
- The plan is based on a holistic approach, focusing on patients rather than their illnesses, encouraging patients/caregivers to participate in care, with respect for their dignity, and adapted to changing needs throughout the disease continuum.
- A major strength of the QAP is the embedded evaluation, conducted by the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)’s Research on Organization of Healthcare Services for Alzheimer’s (ROSA) Team, to inform implementation and its flexibility to allow local adaptations. This integrated evaluation enables decision-makers to know the best approach to successfully extend the QAP throughout the province.
- Results from the QAP’s evaluation suggest that it is not only feasible but also advantageous to anchor dementia care in interprofessional primary care settings. The results have been shared internationally informing clinicians and decision makers in countries that have opted for second-line care and memory clinics (e.g. France), and showing them the place that primary care could take if second-line resources were insufficient.
- Next steps include developing the first Alzheimer Ministerial Policy in Quebec at the request of the Quebec Minster of Seniors. Anchoring primary care requires that it be supported by adequate training, organization into multidisciplinary primary care teams, and specialist support for complex cases.
About the Team
Drs. Howard Bergman and Isabelle Vedel (McGill University) are co-leads of CCNA’s ROSA Team. The ROSA Team produces and transfers knowledge about the organization of services for people living with dementia, in partnership with patients, caregivers, organizations, clinicians, and researchers, with the aim of improving the quality of care for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Links to key/related outputs, including academic and non-academic, and further reading:
- The Québec Alzheimer Plan [ PDF (1.6 MB) - external link ] (policy brief)
- Le Plan Alzheimer québécois, un plan basé sur les soins primaires (in French only) (PubMed)
- The hope and challenges in the diagnosis, treatment and care of persons living with dementia (youtube video)
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