Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hoag's Orange County Vital Aging Program Data Presented at the International
Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
Paris, France – Dr. William Shankle MS, MD, FACP, program director, Memory and Cognitive
Disorders, of Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (HNI) presented Orange County
Vital Aging Program (OCVAP) data today at the Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD) in Paris, France.
The presentation highlighted 12-month results of the recently-developed
Orange County Vital Aging Program, a community-wide, multi-disciplinary
program dedicated to raising education awareness about Alzheimer’s
disease and related disorders (ADRD). This is the first implementation
of the OCVAP concept put together by an international consortium of scientific
leaders in the field of Alzheimer's disease.
“Changing the proactive approach of the medical and non-medical
communities to ADRD healthcare is a substantial yet achievable challenge,
and comprehensive education is the first step,” said Dr. Shankle.
“The 12-month results of the Orange County Vital Aging Program in
the local community demonstrate the power of public and physician education
and may provide a replicable model for other communities nationwide.”
Within the 12 months of the program’s implementation (as of 12/31/2010),
HNI held 12 educational activities that gathered a total of 870 attendees.
Website traffic and access of the online self-assessment tool attracted
nearly 1,200 unique visitors. The program’s community screening
services drew 667 participants, in which professionals were able to find
24% prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (consistent with national
estimates).
The inspiration behind the OCVAP was based on a roadmap initially developed
in 2007 by the Leon Thal Symposium, an international panel of experts
dedicated to preventing Alzheimer’s disease by year 2020. The symposium
experts envisioned a broad coordination of national and local resources
focused on managing risk factors, monitoring cognition and function, and
enabling early diagnosis and treatment.
Aligned with this vision, the OCVAP was developed as a community-based
education program that provides local residents with the necessary tools
to assess risk factors, functional capacity and cognition. This effort
has evolved into a coordinated community program that is reaching the
at-risk population, medical and non-medical professionals, institutions,
community organizations and public advocates.
“As the Orange County Vital Aging Program continues to progress
and community participation increases, the importance of coordinating
follow-up with participants in need of further counsel is imperative,”
Dr. Shankle states. “We must continue to be cognizant of the needs
of community physicians, and OCVAP addresses these needs through the development
of clinical guidelines and links to physician support services and resources.”
The poster presentation is entitled “Orange County Vital Aging Program:
A Community-Based Approach to Reduce Impact of Alzheimer’s Disease
on Health Care Resources.”
About the Orange County Vital Aging Program
The Orange County Vital Aging Program (OCVAP), launched by Hoag Neurosciences
Institute in July 2010, is a community program promoting early detection
and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD)
through education, proactive tracking and timely intervention against
memory loss and cognitive decline. The OCVAP engages public and professional
resources to increase public knowledge about ADRD, develop strategies
to reduce risk for these conditions, and study and monitor healthy cognitive
aging, as well as detect cognitive impairment due to ADRD early, when
it is most treatable. The OCVAP is supported by a grant to Hoag Neurosciences
Institute from the UniHealth Foundation, a non-profit philanthropic organization
whose mission is to support and facilitate activities that significantly
improve the health and well being of individuals and communities within
its service area. For more information, visit
OCVitalAging.org .
About Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (HNI)
Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (hoag.org/neurosciences) coordinates clinical neuroscience specialists, dedicated facilities and
the latest technology to provide individualized patient management under
the following programs: Memory and Cognitive Disorders, Brain Tumors,
Stroke, Epilepsy, Pain, Movement Disorders, and Neurobehavioral Disorders.
HNI also houses the Multiple Sclerosis, Voice and Swallowing, and Sleep
Centers and is becoming a regional referral center for all brain and spinal
disorders.
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (hoag.org ) is a 498-bed, non-profit, acute care hospital located in Newport Beach,
Calif. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet
hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers
a comprehensive mix of health care services, including Centers of Excellence
in neurosciences (HNI), cancer, heart and vascular, orthopedics and women’s
health. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s
most preferred hospital for the past 14 consecutive years. And for an
unprecedented 14 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as
the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. In order
to meet the growing needs of Irvine and South County residents, Hoag will
be opening an Irvine campus. Hoag continues to offer additional services
to the community through the seven Hoag Health Centers located throughout
Orange County.