Memory Connect
Compassionate Dementia Care and Caregiver Support at UNC
Memory Connect is a six-month virtual dementia care program embedded within the UNC Chapel Hill Geriatric Medicine Division. The program supports both people living with dementia and the family members or caregivers who help care for them.
Working closely with patients’ primary care providers, the Memory Connect team helps families navigate dementia through individualized care planning, advance care planning, caregiver support, medication review, and guidance during times of stress or crisis. Our goal is to improve quality of life while helping reduce avoidable emergency department visits and hospitalizations.
We offer compassionate, coordinated support for people living with dementia and their caregivers.
Our Mission
Partnering with your primary care team, our dementia specialists guide caregivers and families through a focused program built around your loved one’s goals—optimizing health needs, providing education and planning, and improving caregiver well-being and confidence to navigate what’s ahead.
View the program flyer
What Is Memory Connect?
Memory Connect is designed to support families caring for someone living with dementia who may be experiencing increasing medical needs, caregiver stress, behavioral symptoms, or recent emergency department visits or hospitalizations. The program is:
- Virtual and easy to access from home
- Embedded within UNC Geriatrics
- Time-limited over six months
- Collaborative with primary care providers
- Focused on both the patient and caregiver
Families have direct access to the Memory Connect team for guidance, support, and care coordination throughout the program.
Read the Memory Connect Patient Outreach letter
Your Care Team
Memory Connect brings together an interdisciplinary team with expertise in:
- Geriatrics
- Dementia care
- Behavioral symptom management
- Medication management
- Caregiver support
- Community resource coordination
The care team includes:
- A dementia specialist nurse practitioner
- A dementia specialist social worker
- Oversight from a geriatrician
Meet the Care Team
How We Support Patients and Caregivers
Every person living with dementia and every caregiver has different goals and needs. Specifically, Memory Connect support may include:
- Advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions
- Managing symptoms such as anxiety, sleep problems, agitation, or behavioral changes
- Falls risk assessment and fall prevention strategies
- Comprehensive review of medications and medical conditions
- Guidance during changes in health status or times of crisis
- Caregiver support and stress management
- Connection to community resources and support groups
- Helping families navigate decisions around emergency department visits and hospitalization
How the Program Works
Patients and caregivers meet virtually with the Memory Connect team monthly over a six-month period. Visits are tailored to each family’s needs and may occur more frequently during times of transition, worsening symptoms, or caregiver stress.
Additionally, the Memory Connect team works closely with the patient’s primary care provider and other clinicians involved in care to improve communication and coordination.
Who May Benefit from Memory Connect?
Memory Connect may be helpful for patients who:
- Are living with dementia
- Have had recent emergency department visits or hospitalizations
- Have caregivers needing additional support
- Are experiencing changes in behavior, function, or medical needs
- Would benefit from additional guidance and care coordination
Caregiver Feedback
