Memory/Cognition

In order to determine what type of AT is most appropriate for supporting someone with memory/cognition, you could start by finding an Occupational Therapist or AT Specialist to help guide you and try out different items to see what works best.

Reaching out to the Maryland Technology Assistance Program to request a free consultation is a great option. MDTAP provides free consultations to Marylanders with disabilities and has an array of knowledge and technologies available to share. This is a consultative, informal process whereby you meet with one of MDTAP’s skilled AT specialists and they provide information, resources, informal recommendations, and access to devices available for loan during a trial period. You can even schedule a tour of their library of AT devices.

If you need a more formal assessment, you can get an AT Evaluation through a provider such as an AT specialist. An evaluation is a more clinical approach, where the clinician chooses and tries out a few items with the person. The clinician then decides which item will work best based on a series of documented assessments of the person with the disability. They’ll consider functional limitations, environment, tasks and more to be completed. AT Evaluations are typically documented in a specific way and those formal evaluations can be used to leverage or access funding (such as Medicaid funding) for certain devices.

If medical insurance will not cover the cost of the AT devices or services that you need, you can request AT funding through DDA through the PCP process. The DDA requires that any request for AT over $2,500 must be supported by recommendations in a formal “AT Needs” assessment.