Focus on Aging: Federal Partners' Webinar Series - Communicating Dementia Risk Information

The Focus on Aging webinar series addresses important topics for public health and health care professionals, aging services organizations, the research community, and other stakeholders in aging. The series is a joint project of four of the federal agencies that support the health and wellness of older adults in the U.S.: the Administration for Community Living, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institute on Aging at the NIH. Each webinar includes information specific to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, as well as their caregivers.

If a test could tell the risk of dementia, who would want to know — and how? Certain imaging scans, genetic tests, and even blood tests are increasingly able to signal whether a person may be at higher risk of developing dementia. However, these test results are not always clear cut. Researchers and clinicians have been investigating what such results may mean and the best ways to communicate them to patients and research participants. Knowing these results may be beneficial, particularly in terms of planning and potential intervention, but could have other implications. This webinar will explore the issue of disclosure in detail, including for diverse populations, focusing on the science of dementia risk, legal and ethical issues involving disclosure, and communication frameworks for disclosure.

#dementia #alzheimer #communication