| MDNG is always on the lookout for new online resources for physicians and patients that promotes more effective communication, enhances the physician patient relationship, and helps patients and caregivers take a more active role in treatment. This resource (www.dementiaguide.com), developed by Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, President and Chief Scientific Officer, and the rest of the DementiaGuide team, is designed to help caregivers to better understand and manage the symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Cathy McNutt, vice president of product development, explained that caregivers can sign up for a free trial account and create a symptom profile for their loved one with dementia or AD. The symptom profile lets caregivers describe and track symptoms over time and determine whether individual symptoms have changed, improved, or deteriorated. Symptoms are organized into several pre-set categories, including "thinking and judgment," "personality changes," "memory and language," "behavior," and "physical changes." Within each category are listed specific symptoms; for example, "thinking and judgment" includes "decision making (problems with)", "attention/concentration (lack of)," "insensitivity," "comprehension/understanding," "following instructions," and "inappropriate language and behaviors." Each individual symptom has a definition to help caregivers further understand and categorize content. They can also add their own custom symptoms. Then, each symptom has a list of pre-defined descriptors that help caregivers describe and rank behaviors and characteristics associated with the symptom. Finally, after recording the frequency with which each symptom presents, caregivers rank the symptoms in order of most important to least important to help determine which are having the most effect on the patient's life. The profile is designed to "reflect the caregiver'™s and patient's background, living arrangements, medications, and general health history."
McNutt said that SymptomGuide, which includes the profile creation and tracking tools, "walks you through the process of creating an individualized profile of the symptoms that you are managing and how they are progressing over time. It gives you management techniques for each symptom. You can use your profile report to communicate with doctors and family members to help them understand where you and the person you are caring for are and what you both need."
After creating a profile, caregivers can use DementiaGuide's reporting tools to record, track, and graph changes in symptoms over time. They can even print out a report to take with them to doctor visits, making it easier to communicate and modify treatment plans. McNutt also pointed out that in addition to the data-specific profile and tracking tools, DementiaGuide also offers a "Journal" feature that lets caregivers write and record detailed descriptions of behavior changes and other observations, important details that can otherwise be forgotten when it comes time to visit the doctor.
DementiaGuide also features a detailed "Symptom Library" developed by Dr. Rockwell to provide caregivers with in-depth, reliable, and accurate information about the symptoms associated with dementia. Other features include a "Community" page that highlights key topics in dementia and AD, and a "Support" section where caregivers can browse answers to questions that are frequently asked by other caregivers.
Visit DementiaGuide.com to see if your patients with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers would benefit from the tools and information it offers. If you or one of your patients already uses this resource, contact Chris Cole at ccole@mdng.com and share your experiences and insights. To see this article visit: http://www.hcplive.com/hcplive/icad/dementiaguide | 
