The main objective of this project is to contribute towards the development of intercultural care and support across Europe. Access to appropriate and timely support and care is dependent not only on its availability but also on people knowing about dementia, especially understanding that it is a medical condition, and seeking help. Lack of awareness and understanding about dementia is often a stumbling block for many people from minority ethnic groups. In this section of the report, we will explore the following issues:

Raising awareness amongst the general population e.g.             

• communicating about dementia,
• looking at how people perceive and make sense of dementia,
• reflecting on how best to reach people from minority ethnic groups.       

Promoting initial help seeking e.g.          

• considering how different perceptions of dementia affect help seeking,
• looking at other issues which may interfere with help seeking such as language barriers, lack of knowledge, financial barriers, distrust and preference for family care.

Information about the above issues is mainly based on findings from qualitative research studies. The terms used in this report to refer to different minority ethnic groups may at times seem somewhat inconsistent but, as mentioned in the introduction, the same terms are used in different ways by different researchers. Sticking to the terms used by the researchers themselves (and by authors of relevant reports) helps avoid making errors based on false assumptions.