ADNeT’s Memory Clinics Initiative has identified resources that may assist you in using telehealth and in the management of your Memory Clinic during this COVID-19 time.

• New guidelines for the administration of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) via telehealth protocol have been developed. Instructions for the clinician and instructions for the carer who can support the clinician in delivering this assessment remotely are available.
• The Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) or Digital Health CRC established a dedicated telehealth page with resources, including changes to the Medicare items, information about telehealth governance and legality, hints and tips for clinicians/consumers and specific COVID-19 related telehealth resources.
• The Dementia Outcomes Measurement Suite or DOMS website has a comprehensive suite of resources, such as instruments, detailed ratings and ‘traffic light’ scale comparisons for tools to measure cognition, staging, function, behaviours, and quality of life indicators in dementia.
• If you are a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), you can also find useful and regularly updated telehealth resources on their website.
• For clinical neuropsychologists working in NSW, two legal cases indicate how guardianship laws have been applied to protect people living with dementia and unable to comply with new COVID-19 social-distancing practices:
• Case1: https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/5e827fd2e4b096e236c21bf6 and
• Case 2: https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/5ea112d3e4b0d927f74af263

In April, at the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ADNeT published a perspective paper with some advice for the management of Memory Clinics during COVID-19.  The paper summarises learnings from Memory Clinicians across Australia and discusses topics like essential services, client prioritisation, ongoing counselling and support, and telehealth options.

Please contact us, if you become aware of other great resources via adnet.mc@unsw.edu.au or if you would like to share with us how your clinic has managed COVID-19, how you have continued delivering services to your clients and any other COVID-19-related observations, questions and/or learnings. We will share this information with the Memory Clinics in our network.

For more information, contact adnet.mc@unsw.edu.au or visit https://www.australiandementianetwork.org.au/memory-clinics-network/