Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital has launched a new Center for Brain Health, giving Treasure Coast families a dedicated resource for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive decline — and the hospital is partnering with a longtime local nonprofit to support patients along the way.
Dr. Danita Jones, a board-certified neurologist with Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, says the clinic is designed for anyone concerned about changes in memory or thinking.
"The Center for Brain Health that we're launching at Indian River is for all patients that have any sort of concerns of cognitive decline or if the family has noticed that there's been changes in someone's memory," Jones said.
The clinic offers a full range of diagnostic tools, including neurologist evaluations, MRI imaging, metabolic PET scans and PET scans that detect amyloid plaque — a protein buildup considered a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Its lab can also run several biomarker tests to help physicians pinpoint what's driving a patient's cognitive symptoms.
For patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Jones says treatment options now go beyond traditional pills.
"We do have the capability of prescribing both the older oral medications, as well as the newer anti-amyloid therapies, which are predominantly given in an IV form," she said.
Jones says age remains the single biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's, with risk climbing notably after 65. But she encourages people not to wait for a milestone birthday if something feels off.
"You could either start with your primary care doctor and get a baseline exam, or if you start to notice that you're not able to complete tasks as well as you used to, or if the family members come to you and say that they're noticing things, then by all means, that's a valid reason to come either to your primary care or to the neurologist for further evaluation," she said.
Not every memory hiccup signals a problem, Jones added — some changes are a normal part of aging. But she says a proper evaluation can determine whether further testing is needed.
As the new clinic gets underway, Cleveland Clinic is teaming up with the Center for Memory and Movement, an Indian River County nonprofit that's supported local families affected by memory and movement disorders since the 1980s.
Peggy Cunningham, the organization's executive director, says the center has grown from a small support group into an organization offering more than 40 free programs, funded entirely through philanthropy.
"Our organization supports families who are affected by memory and movement disorders, and the way we do that is through support, education, and connection," Cunningham said.
Those programs include a daily social respite program where caregivers can drop off a loved one for a day of music, art, pet therapy and light exercise; about a dozen support groups; memory screenings; and educational classes for caregivers and people newly diagnosed with dementia.
The center also runs Project Lifesaver, a partnership with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office that equips people at risk of wandering — including those with dementia and autistic children — with search-and-rescue tracking devices.
Cunningham says caring for someone with dementia is far more demanding than other forms of caregiving, which is why she wants families to reach out before they are overwhelmed.
"That's three times harder than any other form of caregiving," she said. "One of the things that we want to do is to make sure that caregivers come to us before their hair is on fire."
While the details of the new collaboration are still being worked out, Cunningham says the goal is for each organization to focus on what it does best.
"We can do the part that they can't do in terms of all the support and the connecting with each other, and we don't do any of the medical," she said. "I think it's going to be a very good collaboration."
The Center for Memory and Movement recently moved into a new 10,000-square-foot space in Vero Beach to accommodate its growing programs.