The impact of the Alzheimer Society of Canada’s First Link program: Results of a caregiver client survey

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundIn Canada, the Alzheimer Society’s First Link program connects people living with dementia and their caregivers to the information, supports and services they need as early as possible and throughout the progression of their condition. As part of an ongoing national evaluation, the Alzheimer Society of Canada has conducted a survey to provide evidence of the impact of the program across Canada.MethodElectronic surveys were distributed to caregiver clients of the First Link program by six Provincial Alzheimer Societies (AB, MB, NB, NS, PEI, and SK) and one regional Alzheimer Society (Toronto, ON). The survey included questions about client demographics, healthcare service usage, caregiver confidence and caregiver experience, the latter of which was asked using a retrospective pre‐test post‐test design whereby clients were asked to report their current response or status, and also retrospectively recall their perceived response prior to their interaction with The Alzheimer Society. This approach will allow us to determine whether clients report having experienced change over time.ResultA total of 732 surveys were completed by caregivers across Canada. Results varied by province. Caregivers reported that since their connection to the Alzheimer Society they were ‘much’ or ‘a little’ more confident in their ability to: care for the person with dementia (59%), avoid crises (44.5%), and access services (55.2%). They also reported improvements in their knowledge (74.6%) and preparedness (56.8%). Less than 10% of clients reported lower levels of confidence in any of the areas. Of those accessing healthcare services, the Alzheimer Society was credited with connecting people to a variety of services, including counselling (48.2%), adult day programs (43.5%), and home care (22.2%). Of those accessing Long‐Term Care (LTC), similar proportions of participants reported that they accessed LTC later (13.7%) or sooner (11%) than they would have without involvement of the Alzheimer Society. Overall, 69.7% of participants felt that their journey with dementia was improved by their connection with the Alzheimer Society.ConclusionThe results of this survey help to demonstrate the significant role that the Alzheimer Society plays in the lives of caregivers and people living with dementia across the country.