Background: Cognitive concerns are one of the main reasons people are referred by their General Practitioner to private outpatient geriatricians. Concerns are generally raised by families prompting referral or they have concerns themselves. Patients and their families are generally seeking diagnosis and options to improve one’s cognition and ways to prevent further decline.
LaTCH is a memory program created by the researchers at the La Trobe University and Caulfield Hospital. The program has been researched in trials with successful outcomes. It is a 6-week course focusing on strategies and tools to be utilised by people experiencing normal age-related memory change or early memory decline.
Change: We set out to incorporate the LaTCH program in our private practice for the targeted patients that would benefit from the course. Patients were identified by the geriatrician during their cognitive assessment and referred to the neuropsychologist-led program. This is the first time the program has been offered in the community in a privately funded model. The course Is delivered at the rooms in a familiar location.
Learnings: Many people are concerned about their memory and would like to optimise their condition. They also can be scared, worried or anxious. Attending the program requires acknowledgement and some insight into their deficits. There is a cost involved in group sessions in private practice that is not covered by all private health funds. As the program runs for 6-weeks, attendees need to commit to a regular time for the duration. This means there needs to be an ‘investment’ by the patient with time and finances. They also need transportation to attend weekly.
The group sessions allow for bonding and encouragement with similar cognitively worried others. The program also allows staff running the group to monitor and support attendees’ cognition in a casual relaxed environment. It has also allowed ongoing longitudinal review of the program with long term clinic patients who continue to be reviewed by the geriatrician after the program is completed.
Organising a group session has administrative challenges especially when liaising with people with mild cognitive impairment. Finding a common available day and 6-week block is one of those tasks. So far the program has been a great addition to the services offered at the multidisciplinary geriatric clinic.