Memorycare

MemoryCare is an out-patient, consultative program with the goal that families impacted by dementia have the best possible quality of life. Dementia is a chronic, progressive illness that currently has no cure. All with the disease eventually require the help of others who themselves need support and education to manage as well as possible. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, our care teams provide diagnostic work-up, disease management planning, training and medical assistance to handle challenging behaviors and safety concerns, and caregiver education, counseling, and support. We help coordinate available community resources, assist low-income older adults with applications for medication assistance, and counsel individuals/families about end of life decision making. All families are provided a detailed written care plan that is amended as the illness progresses and have full access to our resource library and staff for educational material.

In 2024, our staff provided comprehensive services to 1,230 patients and 3,573 caregivers through our core clinical program. Families were seen in our Asheville office, our rural satellite clinic in Waynesville, and through our home visit program in Buncombe and Haywood Counties. 35% of clients were low income by federal poverty standards. We are devoted to providing community education about dementia, caregiving, and aging-related health issues and teach professional health care students and providers on these topics as well. In 2024, we facilitated 219 presentations and educational programs. Our MemoryCaregivers Network continued to offer four monthly peer caregive support groups to all caregivers of a loved one with dementia in the community. Our electronic newsletter with information about caregiving, resources, and local events was sent to 4.814 individuals, and we maintain a Resource Library for the public with information about dementia, dementia care, healthy aging, and more.