Making a referral to First Link®

What is First Link^® referral?

A referral to First Link^® dementia support helps health-care professionals connect a person living with dementia to the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s programs and services.

Who to refer to First Link^®?

• People receiving a diagnosis or probable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
• Caregivers.
• Family members.

When to refer?

• As soon as a dementia diagnosis is made.
• At any other point in the progression of the disease.

Why refer?

Making a First Link^® referral ensures your clients or patients receive ongoing support from the Alzheimer Society of B.C., giving access to information they need, when they need it. Through ongoing, proactive contact, we provide information and support to care partners and people living with dementia.  As their needs evolve throughout the progression of dementia, we continue to provide relevant support every step of the way.

Without a referral from a health-care provider, it takes people an average of 11 months longer to find and connect with the Alzheimer Society of B.C., but those 11 months can be a critical time for planning and developing support networks.

When you refer to First Link^®, your client will be contacted by the Alzheimer Society of B.C. within a few weeks of being referred. We offer appropriate First Link^® programs and services:

1. Individual support: Ongoing support calls to help identify changing needs.
2. Dementia education: Ongoing learning opportunities, including in-person and online education workshops, on a wide variety of topics from diagnosis to end of life, including Getting to know dementia, Shaping the journey, the Family caregiver series and Grief and loss.
3. Support groups: In-person and virtual groups for people in the early stages of dementia and groups for caregivers.
4. Coffee and Chat: In-person and online social group for people living with early symptoms of dementia to laugh, share experiences and connect with others.
5. Minds in Motion^®: A social and fitness program for people living with any form of early stages of dementia to attend with a care partner.
6. Information: Webinars, brochures, fact sheets and videos, as well as dementia programming news and event updates in your patients' area.
7. First Link^® Dementia Helpline: Information and support for anyone affected by dementia, whether professionally or personally.

We will also inform your clients about other community and health-care services and resources as necessary and help connect them to a community of people affected by dementia.

How to refer?

Health-care providers and community organizations can easily refer in three simple steps:

1. Ask the individual or family member for permission to forward their name to First Link^®.
2. Download the one-page First Link^® referral form (or access on Med Access, Wolf or Pathways web-based directory.)
   Please note: The PDF form is not fillable through Mozilla Firefox.
3. Complete the referral form and submit in the following ways:
   • Fax it to 1-833-238-7390 (toll free) or 604-238-7390; or
   • Email firstlink@alzheimerbc.org

What happens when we receive the referral?

Your patient or client will receive:  

• A phone call from the Society’s First Link® team.
• An information package specific to their needs.
• Regular communications from the Society to keep them informed about dementia education and support programs.
• Information about community and health-care services that may be helpful.
• Follow-ups at their preferred intervals (three, six and 12 months).

You will receive a confirmation when contact has been made with the person you referred.