Reaching Caregivers and Communities Where They Are: Early-Stage Evaluation of Tennessee’s Dementia Navigator Program
Abstract
More than 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and prevalence continues to rise. In Tennessee, approximately 130,000 individuals were estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024, the leading cause of dementia. Rising prevalence intensifies demands on caregivers and necessitates coordinated responses across healthcare and community systems. Public health departments play a central role in strengthening dementia-friendly infrastructure through coordinated navigation services connecting individuals and caregivers to education, screening, and support. Under the CDC Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, the Tennessee Department of Health launched a five-county Dementia Navigator Program (DNP) pilot delivering dementia education, community-based memory screenings, and coordinated referrals. This study evaluated early implementation performance by examining changes in individuals reached and community-based memory screenings across two quarters – Quarter 1 (July-September 2025) and Quarter 2 (October-December 2025) – based on routinely collected monthly monitoring data. Independent sample t-tests were performed to evaluate these changes. Over the two quarters, the pilot reached 5,702 individuals, with October accounting for 45% of total reach. Mean monthly reach did not differ significantly between Quarter 1 (M = 834, SD = 36.5) and Quarter 2 (M = 1,066, SD = 1320.7), t(4) = -0.30, p = .78. Seventy-five memory screenings were completed; mean monthly screenings were higher in Quarter 1 (M = 17, SD = 12.1) than Quarter 2 (M = 8, SD = 13.0), though not statistically significant, t(4) = 0.88, p = .43. Results suggest service delivery patterns were still stabilizing during early rollout. Expanding the DNP will require consistent delivery of core navigation services, strengthened referral coordination, structured follow-up systems, and performance measures to assess service continuity and coverage. This evaluation provides early evidence to guide operational refinements and inform future expansion of the DNP across Tennessee.
Start Time
15-4-2026 10:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 11:00 AM
Room Number
304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Comp Orals
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Graduate
Faculty Mentor
Jodi Southerland
Reaching Caregivers and Communities Where They Are: Early-Stage Evaluation of Tennessee’s Dementia Navigator Program
304
More than 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), and prevalence continues to rise. In Tennessee, approximately 130,000 individuals were estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024, the leading cause of dementia. Rising prevalence intensifies demands on caregivers and necessitates coordinated responses across healthcare and community systems. Public health departments play a central role in strengthening dementia-friendly infrastructure through coordinated navigation services connecting individuals and caregivers to education, screening, and support. Under the CDC Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, the Tennessee Department of Health launched a five-county Dementia Navigator Program (DNP) pilot delivering dementia education, community-based memory screenings, and coordinated referrals. This study evaluated early implementation performance by examining changes in individuals reached and community-based memory screenings across two quarters – Quarter 1 (July-September 2025) and Quarter 2 (October-December 2025) – based on routinely collected monthly monitoring data. Independent sample t-tests were performed to evaluate these changes. Over the two quarters, the pilot reached 5,702 individuals, with October accounting for 45% of total reach. Mean monthly reach did not differ significantly between Quarter 1 (M = 834, SD = 36.5) and Quarter 2 (M = 1,066, SD = 1320.7), t(4) = -0.30, p = .78. Seventy-five memory screenings were completed; mean monthly screenings were higher in Quarter 1 (M = 17, SD = 12.1) than Quarter 2 (M = 8, SD = 13.0), though not statistically significant, t(4) = 0.88, p = .43. Results suggest service delivery patterns were still stabilizing during early rollout. Expanding the DNP will require consistent delivery of core navigation services, strengthened referral coordination, structured follow-up systems, and performance measures to assess service continuity and coverage. This evaluation provides early evidence to guide operational refinements and inform future expansion of the DNP across Tennessee.
