Alberta dementia strategy calls for primary care improvements, but no new funding

The Alberta Government's dementia strategy is designed to better educate the public about the illness and improve the primary care system's ability to manage patients. Among the recommendations are:

• Improving respite care services for caregivers;
• Looking at options to reduce the financial drain experienced by dementia patients and caregivers;
• Expanding access to consultations with specialists, especially in rural areas;
• Ensuring everyone diagnosed with dementia has someone who can coordinate their care;
• Facilitating faster access to diagnostic tests for those with dementia symptoms; and
• Developing a research framework to make Alberta a leader in dementia care innovations.

Alberta's health minister says the provincial government spent about $7 million on strategy initiatives - including nearly $2 million for First Link, a referral program designed to help newly diagnosed people with dementia - but made no further funding commitments.