In January, Aging Well Arizona hosted a community meeting of various stakeholders. In addition to recognizing our recent Dementia Friendly Flagstaff designation, our group welcomed speakers to discuss solutions and challenges related to our efforts.
Lastly, we gathered input from eight breakout sessions. These are some of the notes taken during those sessions. A special thank you to the NAU graduate students who served as notetakers during the breakouts.
1. Transitioning from Short-Term Goals to a Sustainable Movement
Improved Communication and Engagement
Ensure better follow-up with stakeholders
Shift focus from primarily professionals who worked to meet the short-term goal to including:
People with cognitive impairments.
Caregivers (both family and paid caregivers).
Any other relevant stakeholders
Acknowledge the challenges faced by paid caregivers:
Low wages, demanding jobs, often young individuals with personal reasons for caregiving.
Fund a position for someone to run Aging Well Arizona–an executive director.
Engage insurers
Legislative action-lobbying, advocating
Community engagement
Include a person who knows all the resources in the community
Encourage community groups to participate in effort
Involve senior centers
Raising Awareness and Expanding Resources
Emphasize the communication of available resources and raise awareness among caregivers and families.
Highlight the importance of addressing caregiver needs and challenges.
Consider unique conditions in the region, such as rural areas and reservation communities.
Additional Dementia Friends Champions
Addressing Complexity
Recognize that the caregiving/cognitive impairment community is highly complex, with interconnected and dynamic needs.
It can be challenging to determine which area requires the most attention or how to address each part of this multifaceted system effectively.
2. Enhancing Engagement and Participation
Overcoming Challenges for Participation
Address the substantial effort it takes for caregivers to prepare and bring loved ones to events like the Memory Café at The Bluffs.
Improve caregiver support at events (respite care)
Building Collaborations
For volunteering opportunities, engage NAU students (student affairs, frats/sororities, caregiving groups, The Center for Service and Volunteerism (CSV), and Axe of Service.
Develop appropriate training through nursing, psychology, and social work departments. Students NEED APPROPRIATE TRAINING before engaging with older adults.
3. Addressing Regional and Environmental Challenges
Rural and Northern Arizona Considerations
Extend initiatives beyond Flagstaff to include reservations and rural areas.
Factor in accessibility and specific challenges of these regions.
Enhance diversity among advocates and AWA group members
Dementia friendly initiatives need to be personalized; a one-size-fits-all approach will not work
Language translators would benefit the diverse populace in Northern Arizona.
Speaking Navajo to Navajo residents helps patients
Time-Sensitive Support
Explore organizations that can provide solutions for issues outside regular business hours (e.g., early morning, late night).
Develop emergency preparedness protocols (e.g., Ready, Set, Go) tailored to caregivers and families.
Support while families wait for six months for admittance to a care facility
4. Encouraging New Services and Innovations
Day Care Offering of Utmost Importance
Partner with companies in Phoenix who can mentor people in Flagstaff
Support Group for Early Onset Alzheimer’s Needed
Guide Navigator/ Navigator program
How to assess next steps?
Institutional Engagement
Collaborate with local entities like the Chamber of Commerce and Mountain Line. Grocery stores were mentioned multiple times. Cognitively impaired people like to go to the grocery store for something to do, but it can be burdensome to the caregivers. They already have a senior day there. Could they expand on those services?
Technology Support
Provide cognitive support online for older adults unfamiliar with technology.
Encouraging Program Development
Learn from successful initiatives in other regions that could be adapted for Northern Arizona.
Project Echo (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), Aging Well
Organizations like Habitat for Humanity
Repair Program
Aging in Place
Faith-Based Community Involvement
Transportation to worship services
Teepa Snow to Flagstaff?
Project ECHO
5. Improving Healthcare and Professional Development
Limited Neurologists in Northern Arizona
Delay for diagnosis
Care Facilities Could Share a Neurologist
Diagnosis requires a neurologist, yet the region lacks this these physicians
Best Advocate: Knowledgeable Primary Care Physicians
How to support and enhance this resource?
Healthcare Barriers
Address difficulties in obtaining diagnoses for individuals with cognitive impairment.
Consider requiring continuing education on older adults for healthcare workers as a condition for license renewal.
Collaborative Emergency Planning
Prepare caregivers for disasters with appropriate protocols and resources
Need for Additional Medical Professionals
Many people driving to Phoenix for care and services
Difficulty finding qualified PCPs without reaching out to each one individually
Pharmacology issues for people with dementia
Lack of answers from physicians
6. Statewide Epidemic and Considerations
Fourth leading cause of death
Focus on prevention (alcohol and tobacco)
Need better attention on vulnerable populations
Attention on nutrition, mental health, sleep health, brain health, and intergenerational connection
7. Support for Caregivers
Need for a Day Care Respite Service
How to keep loved ones at home for longer—support needed
More in-home respite care desperately needed
Enhanced empathy by healthcare workers toward caregivers
Start a Caregivers Club. Social isolation is an epidemic among caregivers
NAU Nursing students could form a group to support caregivers in the community
Social implications of time off
Women as caregivers—financial repercussions (caregiver economy)
Raising awareness of caregiver issues statewide
The Aging Well Arizona collaborative is exploring these community issues related to aging well, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Our grassroots effort includes volunteers working to address these community needs. Please consider participating in this effort by joining our email list.
