Advice for Patients, Caregivers and Care Partners
Welcome to Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, where we strive to:
- Treat your conditions and keep your brain as healthy as possible
- Provide support for you and your loved ones, including educating both you and your care partners
- Offer you and your loved ones opportunities to participate in clinical research
Beyond your appointment
We’re always most successful when we’re surrounded and supported by others — an engaged support system. While you may not think you need assistance, a ride from a friend on a day your energy level is low or an offer to pick up a few groceries can lighten the burden of brain disease. Consider these people your care partners.
And don’t hesitate to ask for help from friends, family or those who’ve traveled the path of brain disease before you — including the team here at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. We’ve been told that we’re more than a doctor’s office to those we care for and that “Hope is knowing that you are not alone in the journey you’re taking.” We’re here to guide and help you along that journey.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide your care. We look forward to your visit. If you have questions about payment options, we can help.
Should you have other questions or need to postpone or cancel your appointment, please contact us at 702.483.6000.
With warm regards,
Dylan Wint, MD, FAAN
Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic Nevada
Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair for Brain Health
Las Vegas Legacy Chair for Neuroscience Education
Our Model of Care
At Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, we deliver targeted neurological care. We match your care needs with our expertise by approaching brain diseases in two phases:
- Diagnostic: Our providers determine the cause(s) of your symptoms and outline an initial treatment plan.
- Ongoing condition management: Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) — nurse practitioners and physician assistants with specialized neurological expertise — adjust your treatment plan and advise your primary care provider as needed to optimize your care and help manage unexpected issues that arise.
If you have questions or an unexpected change in your condition between regular visits, you can contact a care coordinator. Care coordinators are registered nurses (RN) who can connect you to services and programs at our center to help customize your care.
Send a message 24/7 via MyChart, our electronic health management and communications tool. You can also leave a message for the care team during standard business hours by contacting us at 702.483.6000.
We want you to have the best experience while you’re with us. We also understand that everyone’s journey is different and may include unexpected challenges. That’s where our Ombudsman Office fits in. This office is here to support matters related to your care and help remove barriers that may impact it.
Preparing for Your First Appointment
Meeting your new provider for the first time may seem a little daunting. Simply knowing what questions to ask can be challenging, but we’re here to help in all facets of your care.
Some practical details to ease your mind and help you prepare for your visit:
- There’s plenty of free self-parking right next to our front door. Get directions.
- Preview our campus via video.
- Read about what to expect and review our no-show and behavior guidelines.
- Consider using this medication list to track the medication use your provider will ask about.
MyChart: Communicating With Your Care Team
We’ll introduce you to MyChart, a secure online portal you and care partners you authorize can use to access your health records 24/7. With MyChart, you can:
- Message your care team to request medication refills
- Alert us to unexpected changes in your condition
- Get on the waitlist: Once you have a confirmed neurology appointment, you can accept or decline opportunities for an earlier appointment
- Check in for an appointment
- Pay your bill
You may even choose to have virtual visits with MyChart.
Users have told us that MyChart is an “all-inclusive toolbox for managing my health” and a “timely, accurate way to communicate directly with the care team in our own words.”
Learn how MyChart can help you manage your care and sign up now.
Maximizing Your Relationship With Us
You can start even before your first appointment. Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health offers an array of resources to support our patients and families beyond the traditional doctor’s appointment.
Enjoy some New Thinking about brain health in our twice-yearly magazine.
Our campus is small enough to be approachable, yet large enough to conveniently contain the services you may use for:
Diagnosis:
- Imaging (nuclear imaging, MRI, CT and PET/CT) for insight into the form and function of the brain and beyond
- Neuropsychology to better understand how the brain is working
Ongoing Treatment:
- Physical, occupational, speech and music therapy empower you and others with brain disorders to live as independently as possible. Treatments are personalized to help you meet your goals for maximizing quality of life.
- Counseling from our behavioral health team improves quality of life, coping skills and emotional well-being — both for those affected by brain disorders and their caregivers. Our team helps you reflect on how daily habits, career and family challenges — layered on top of the diagnosis of a neurological disorder — can affect your overall health and wellness.
Research:
- Brain research to advance new treatments and diagnostic approaches. We want our research to represent and support the rich diversity of our Nevada communities. You and your brain can help.
Maximizing Your Understanding of Your Brain
Participate in free educational, therapeutic and support services. From group music therapy to yoga, and from support groups to lectures about brain health by our providers, many of our programs are offered online. Consider inviting friends and family to join you from across town or across the country.
- Sign up for our e-newsletter. Receive our monthly event calendar in your inbox, so you’ll never miss opportunities to join our free programs.
Connect with our social work team for one-on-one advice on community resources available to help you and your support network navigate brain disease.
Learn more about brain disease by browsing our Lynne Ruffin-Smith e-Library, with free access 24/7 to materials addressing the diseases treated at our center. Or visit our on-site library and information desk while on campus, where we can guide you through a selection of more than 1,500 books you can borrow. We can also introduce you to free programs we offer to help you navigate your brain health.
A diagnosis isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of understanding
We’ll answer your questions and guide you through your treatment journey. In collaboration with colleagues across an array of specialties, we can help you manage your condition, stay active and live your best life possible.
We’ve heard, “I may not be able to do all the things I used to do, but I enjoy the things I can do,” and “The diagnosis was harder on all those around me than it was on me. It was helpful to focus on what I could do to affect my disease progression and set new expectations.” Another person in our care likes to explain, “I’m still me, just more forgetful, tired and clumsy.”
We encourage you to watch a video series in which care partners share what they’ve learned on the job to manage various symptoms commonly associated with cognitive decline.
While each family’s journey with brain disease presents different road hazards and warning signs and progresses at a different pace, we’re prepared to help you navigate some common points along the route, from the physical to the social to the emotional.
Caring for the Caregiver
Families are challenged when a loved one has a cognitive disorder, movement disorder or multiple sclerosis — and they often rise to the occasion by becoming care partners. People with brain disorders rely heavily on care partners — friends, family and loved ones — who often feel tremendous stress, particularly when they lack knowledge and experience.
At Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, we often hear, “I was surprised to discover I had become a caregiver.”
Often, people with a brain disorder need help with daily activities and interactions. That means your life and responsibilities are likely to be affected — physically, emotionally, socially or economically.
The most effective care partners are well-informed and consider getting help and support from all available resources to make sure they don’t sacrifice their own well-being during their caregiving journey.
We’re here to care for the caregiver, just as much as we — and they — are here for their loved one. Many have said that we understand them when no one else does, and that this is a place where they can be themselves. So, come as you are. We’ll do our best to meet you where that is.
Some of our care partners will tell you how our center has helped those who’ve experienced brain disease.
Additional Community Resources
Enjoy a free guide to resources for families in Nevada living with dementia: “Navigating the Dementia Journey.” This guide was produced by Dementia Friendly Clark County, a community education and advocacy group.
For additional information and support related to diseases treated at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, contact the respective disease associations, many of whom facilitate local and online support groups.
Cognitive disorders
Alzheimer’s Association
alz.org
Southern Nevada Regional Office: 702.248.2770
Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD)
theaftd.org
National office: 267.514.7221
Lewy Body Dementia Association
lbda.org
National office: 404.935.6444
Movement disorders
Cure PSP
psp.org
National office: 347.294.2893 (CURE)
Huntington’s Disease Society of America
lasvegas.hdsa.org
National office: 212.242.1968
Parkinson’s Foundation
parkinson.org
National office: 800.473.4636
Parkinson’s Place Las Vegas
parkinsonsplacelv.org
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis Society of America
mymsaa.org
National office: 800.532.7667
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
nationalmssociety.org
