Conversations Around Brain Health: Reframing Expectations for Healthcare Providers, Patients, and Caregivers

Clinicians often fail to initiate conversations with patients and/or caregivers around brain health, frequently due to discomfort with the topic and the incorrect perception that there is little benefit to diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) early. However, the failure to detect early signs of cognitive decline and diagnose appropriately prevents patients from gaining access to treatment and support services and deprives patients and caregivers of the opportunity to plan for future healthcare needs. Beyond diagnosis, it may be even more beneficial to address brain health before cognitive decline begins. Recommendations now call for targeting modifiable risk factors to slow or even prevent cognitive decline and dementia. Key to identifying and delaying cognitive decline calls for integrated and system-driven screening and communication practices to effectively solicit patient- or caregiver-reported feedback for translation into actionable management practices. Unfortunately, although guidelines prioritize patient-centered care using communication systems to facilitate the delivery of care, they fail to explicitly describe what these communication systems are or elucidate how shared decision-making should be approached in persons “with varying cognitive impairment.”

To overcome these challenges, this learning hub offers a mix of easy-to-introduce practical strategies and communication frameworks supported by the latest evidence. Learners can easily navigate the learning hub and pick and choose among the wide array of education modalities and resources, including animated whiteboards; a downloadable slide deck and facilitation guide to support peer-to-peer learning; patient education resources with practical guidance for their use; and representative processes and workflows for easy integration into routine clinical practice.