Unit 3384 Research Paper

TESTIMONY IN FAVOR OF HOUSE 3384
AN ACT REQUIRING PHYSICIAN TRAINING ON ALZHEIMERS AND DEMENTIA PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 24TH 2016

Good afternoon, my name is Olivia Guiney, I am here as a concerned healthcare provider, representing the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire chapter. I wish to express full support for the bill H. 3384, “An Act Requiring physician training on Alzheimer’s and Dementia.”
The Bill, H. 3384 would require physicians to be trained in the Alzheimer’s and dementia care at the time of each physician’s licensure renewal. This act will require the medical board of Massachusetts to add an amending paragraph that is specific to physician training in Alzheimer’s in Section 2, chapter 112 of the general
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It provides the opportunity for prompt evaluation of the patient and possibly administer tests and treatments for reversing and determining the causes of memory loss. In addition, early diagnosis provides time for patients and families to prepare for the future and most importantly it maximizes the patients opportunity to contribute to their own care planning process. As previously stated, the diagnosis of dementia most commonly takes place in the primary care setting. During primary care visits with older or elderly people the interactions tend to be brief and patients often present multiple health conditions that they are experiencing. It can be challenging for the physician to pin point those intersecting health concerns with Alzheimer’s if they are not properly trained to do so. Early symptoms may not even be apparent to the primary care physicians unless they are directly assessed. This is a growing concern in terms of the escalating potential of
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However, the only aspect the state has control over is the educational related reasons for missed diagnosis. Primary care physicians need access, on a biennial basis, to receive the most up to date information about what changes are “normal” in aging and what is not. As we know,**********There are numerous difficulties for physicians when detecting and managing dementia. Among these difficulties there is patient avoidance, combined with the lack of resources and absence of assessment tools and protocols. All of these difficulties are joined with the unavoidable stigma that encapsulates the disease. If Massachusetts were to pass this bill, the training would readily available to be completed during the time of a physician’s license renewal every two years. Providing training on Alzheimer’s and dementia care during the licensure renewal process does not impede on a physician’s schedule.