The goal of the Dementia Crisis Program is to reduce the likelihood that persons with Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive deficits who experience a behavioral crisis will need to leave their home of choice. It is understood that challenging behaviors displayed by an individual with dementia are often caused by an unmet need. By partnering with the individual and their caregivers, the Dementia Crisis Program Specialist will help assess the situation, offer person centered approaches and interventions which may include the development a life story and other tools helping to mitigate the risk of future behavioral crises through better understanding of the needs the person with dementia may be expressing. The Dementia Crisis Program Specialist will also collaborate with community partners including assisted living providers, long term care programs, law enforcement, and other advocates to address policy and systems issues that impact persons with dementia who may experience a behavioral crisis. To learn more about the Dane County Dementia Program, please contact call the APS Helpline at 608-261-9933.
If you are caring for a person with dementia, please consider completing this “First Responder Tool” with information that can be used in an emergency. This could be hung on the refrigerator or kept in a prominent, accessible location. Additionally, you can share this with family members, case managers, your local EMS or Mental Health Officers/Deputies with the local police/sheriff if appropriate.
Please contact the Dementia Crisis Program Specialist at 608-286-8183 with questions about this form.
What is dementia? A simple explanation of what dementia looks like.
