UW-Green Bay Dementia advocates hope to train more trainers: have a ripple effect of dementia-friendly communities around the state

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimers. Every 66 seconds, someone in the U.S. develops the disease. In 2016, Alzheimer’s and dementia will cost the nation $236 billion. UW-Green Bay is helping lead the way in dementia crisis care.

In November, champions of dementia care from nine Wisconsin counties and from a number of agencies met at UW-Green Bay in mid-November to begin training and support to counties and their providers in an effort to improve crisis interventions for persons with dementia. UW-Green Bay’s Behavioral Health Training Partnership www.uwgb.edu/bhtp/ is leading the effort with a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services/Division of Care and Treatment Services. More than 50 county crisis workers, adult protective services workers, people who work in aging disability and resource centers, and family-managed care organizations, nursing home directors and activity coordinators, law enforcement and the Alzheimer’s Association were invited.

The first meeting was to identify task force members, trainers, and county champions to facilitate up to 10 trainings by June 30, 2017 around the state and continue to provide training to crisis responders after the grant expires. Secondly, the grant will help build a dementia-friendly community, using a toolkit designed to guide the process.

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