Working with your Health Care Team

You and your caregiver may be involved with a number of health care professionals. This may include your family doctor, physician specialist, nurses, occupational and physical therapist and pharmacist and others. You are the best person to identify your needs and concerns. The following resources may assist you to become a partner with your health care team.

Practical Resources for Working with your Care team

Working with your Doctor

Your family doctor is a very important resource for you. There are some resources available to assist you and your doctor to work as partners in meeting your health needs:

  • Free emergency wallet card, British Columbia Medical Association
  • Working Together – Developing a Relationship With Your Doctor: Video and handbook, Alzheimer Society of Canada – If you have dementia or are caring for a person with dementia, you can get this video by contacting the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia Helpline at 604.681.8651 in British Columbia Lower Mainland, or toll–free at 1.800.936.6033.
  • Medical Profile – Admission to Hospital: planning tool helps to record important health care information to use in an emergency. If you have dementia or are caring for a person with dementia, you can get this by the Dementia Helpline at 604.681.8651 in British Columbia Lower Mainland, or toll–free at 1.800.936.6033.
  • If you don’t have a family doctor, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia has an on-line search function that allows you to find physicians who are taking new patients by geographic location. Tel: 604.733.7758.

Working with Your Pharmacist

The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia have two resources available on their website to help you work with your local pharmacist:

Medications

It is important to discuss any medical treatments that you may be interested in with your family doctor.
  • The Alzheimer Society of Canada has fact sheets available about existing drug treatments that are used for dementia, that may be useful in preparing to talk to your doctor, or give you information about options suggested to you by your doctor:
  • Aricept
  • Excelon
  • Reminyl
  • Ebixa
  • Alzheimer's Drug Therapy Initiative - A new initiative started in Oct 2007 to provide eligible BC residents with paharmacare coverage of cholinesterase inhibitors used in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and gathering evidence on the effectiveness of these medications.

Participation in Research for Dementia Treatments

  • Ethical Guidelines – Participation in Research, Alzheimer Society of Canada:
    Easy to understand information about what is involved in participating in research for dementia treatments.
  • Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia, located at University of British Columbia Hospital in Vancouver, provides information about current research trials underway in the UBCH Clinic.
  • The Brain Research Centre, a partnership between Vancouver Coastal Health, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Instititute, and the Faculty of Medicine at University of British Columbia, located at University of British Columbia.
    Tel: 604.82 BRAIN (604.822.7246).

Eligibility for Health Programs


To find out information about local home and community care resources visit In Your Community and click on the health authority that you live in.