“It was a long journey, but I’m convinced my mother would no longer be with us had she not been admitted to CAMH to experience the wonderful care there,” says Linda Krisman.

At 84, her mother Yolanda was struggling with dementia. She was disoriented, forgetful and experiencing paranoia; weak from significant weight loss, she could no longer look after herself. Using the new Dementia: Management of Agitation and Aggression ICP, care providers from multiple disciplines tailored a structured treatment plan to meet Yolanda’s needs.

“This approach is very humane, and really brings down the barriers between the community and the hospital,” Linda says.

“It was very holistic; everyone had the same mission, and that alignment was very impressive.”

The Dementia pathway is indeed changing the way patients receive care. For example, while 50 per cent of similar patients are treated with two or more medications for neuropsychiatric symptoms in long-term care homes, the CAMH approach has been able to improve patients’ lives with one medication or even without medication. In addition, patients enrolled in CAMH’s ICP have 40 per cent fewer falls.

“In the past few years, the number of new patients assessed in the memory clinic has increased by 500 per cent. And still, we can see patients within less than two weeks,” says Dr. Tarek Rajji, CAMH’s Chief of Geriatric Psychiatry.

More than 1,000 people have benefitted from CAMH’s ICP approach, including the Alcohol Use Disorder ICP created through generous support from Lori McBurney. Several ICPs are being rolled out in settings across the province.

Integrated Care Pathways at CAMH – The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is building care pathways around the clinical and social needs of our patients. Integrated Care Pathways or ICPs provide detailed guidance for each stage of recovery, ensuring patients are receiving the right care at the right time in the right place.