Little is known about the experience of health care providers (HCP) who work in primary care memory clinic team settings to provide care for Alzheimer and related dementia (ADRD) patients. This study explored these experiences. Specifically, questions were asked around the rewards, challenges and motivations with working in the memory clinic structure and providing support to ADRD patients through a phenomenological approach.
HCPs found thrilling complexities within the patient population in the memory clinic and that working in the clinic they are able to experience ongoing learning opportunities. HCPs also described that the memory clinic offers personal and professional fulfillment. HCPs described an overall positive experience working in the memory clinic to support ADRD patients. HCPs take pride in being able to support patients and caregivers. Knowing that they are making a difference and doing good work are motivations to continue to work with complex populations, such as ADRD patients. HCPs enjoy working in close proximity to one another, respect their team members, and enjoy learning from each other. Team members motivate each other to stay and work with the ADRD population in primary care memory clinics. HCPs reap many rewards associated with working in a “tight-knit” memory clinic team setting for ADRD patients.
As the number of HCPs working in team settings continues to grow in Canada, it is important to look at the experiences of these teams to understand the rewards, challenges and motivations of team members. These findings provide more context for understanding how to motivate future HCPs to work with more complex populations such as ADRD patients. Future research should address the outcomes of these clinics by exploring patient and family caregiver experiences with specialized teams, as it is important to gain their experiences to enhance the care practices for these individuals.