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Professionals' utilization of a telephone helpline for Alzheimer's disease: What do I do now?

University of Massachusetts, Boston, Gerontology Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Gerald Flaherty

Alzheimer's Association of Eastern Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The literature has well documented the needs of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Little attention, however, has been devoted to the needs of the professionals who serve this population. This study begins to address those needs by examining professionals' utilization of a helpline operated by the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern Massachusetts. The Association's stated mission is to provide access to comprehensive services as well as to offer support to family and professional caregivers.

Helpline volunteers and staff members screened for professional callers who sought information during Fall 1992. About 69 percent (49) of the callers consented to a follow-up telephone interview by graduate social work students during January 1993. Approximately 55 percent of the callers identified social work as their professional discipline. About 61 percent reported that they had participated in specialized training in Alzheimer's disease. Those who had training tended to score higher in overall knowledge about the disease. Respondents who reported that they had received mailed information from the Alzheimer Association also tended to score higher in overall knowledge than those who had not received mailings. The information most frequently requested by professionals pertained to wandering issues followed by requests for dementia information and educational materials.

Almost half (45 percent) of the callers reported that they received some form of follow-up from the Alzheimer's Association. This follow-up was usually a phone call (59 percent). Recommendations suggested by the professional callers included specialized mailings targeted to agency directors, a centralized physician listing and expansion of the Alzheimer's Association professional staff. Sixtyseven percent of the callers rated their satisfaction with the Helpline as "very high." Callers who perceived the Helpline more positively tended to request a specific person. The majority (85 percent) responded that they would call the Helpline again if a need arose.

The study highlighted the stress The American Journal of Alzheimer's Care and Related Disorders & Research, November/December 1994 experienced by Alzheimer's professional caregivers and the supports they seek to cope with that stress. The findings also revealed the desire of professionals to be better informed about Alzheimer's disease through publications and trainings. The callers specifically requested a protocolfor wandere rs. Through actively addressing the needs of professionals, the Alzheimer's Association may ultimately better meet the needs of patients and their families.

The Alzheimer's Association of Eastern Massachusetts has responded to a number of recommendations in this study by enhancing existing services such as increasing its Helpline capacity by 25 percent; initiating new programs such as creating professional networks aimed at connecting the African-American community to local heath care and support systems; and investigating ways of addressing professionals' needs such as developing a listing of primary physicians who are known to be sympathetic to the needs of Alzheimer patients and their families.

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