WED-008 - Training the Workforce Using a Public Health Approach to Dementia

Brief Abstract Summary: Advance dementia as a public health issue with interactive, educational and action-oriented tools designed to support the next generation of public health practitioners. A Public Health Approach to Dementia is a free, online three-part curriculum created to promote understanding of the public health role in creating immediate and long-term change for the 6.9 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. This self-paced curriculum is designed for asynchronous learning about the necessary public health action and approach to brain health and dementia. As the prevalence of dementia increases, this curriculum addresses the demand for future public health practitioners to be skilled in understanding the connections between dementia, aging, public health support of caregivers, chronic disease prevention, and populations impacted by the social determinants of health. The session will also cover the national dissemination strategies used for this curriculum.

Detailed abstract description: As the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease continues to increase, public health action is necessary across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of prevention. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is a public health issue because the prevalence and costs are substantial, the impacts are serious and there are public health solutions. As of 2024, nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. Of those living with ADRD, more than 95% have at least one chronic condition which results in poorer health outcomes. Without robust public health intervention, nearly 13 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2050 and will cost the nation just under $1 trillion annually.

In this session, attendees will learn about A Public Health Approach to Dementia, an online curriculum and how this resource can be used to educate students, community coalitions, new public health practitioners, and other community-based partners. The curriculum explores and addresses the following topics: Understanding the Public Health Impact of Dementia; Health Equity; Public Health and Dementia Caregiving.

Attendees will delve into the innovative applications of a virtual curriculum to enhance their understanding of ADRD. The curriculum emphasizes the impact of social determinants of health on dementia risk and diagnosis. It has been tailored to support self-paced learning, incorporating learner-centered user experience design principles to support consumer usability and functionality. Additionally, each module includes an instructor guide to enhance virtual and classroom learning experiences.

This presentation will also cover the robust strategy used in the curriculum's dissemination. Social media and digital email campaigns reaching public health practitioners, students, and faculty resulted in 1,162 enrollments across all three modules launched separately between August 2023 and September 2024 (Understanding the Public Health Impact of Dementia released in September 2024; Health Equity in Dementia released in August 2023; Public Health and Dementia Caregiving released in December 2023). The course's results have been positive with over 90% of participants who completed a module reporting significant gains in knowledge and understanding and are highly likely to apply what they have learned in their academic or professional settings. These key takeaways underscore the curriculum's success and potential for broader application in public health education.