To live well with dementia, people need care, services, and supports that reflect their values and preferences, build on their strengths and abilities, promote well-being, and address needs that evolve as cognitive impairment deepens.
People living with dementia co-manage their care with or rely on the support of a wide range of carers, including spouses, other family members and friends, and direct care workers in homes or residential care settings. While dementia care has improved in the past few decades, many people still lack access to high-quality care and are not living as well as they might. Disadvantaged groups, especially racial and ethnic minorities, still face challenges in access to care, services, and supports, due to deep and persistent inequities.
A report published in February 2021 by The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine (US), on “Meeting the Challenge of Caring for Persons Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners and Caregivers: A Way Forward” examines the complex body of evidence on dementia care and informs decision making about which interventions are ready to be broadly disseminated and implemented. It also offers a blueprint to guide future research using methods that are inclusive, equitable, and yield critical information for real-world implementation, toward the ultimate goal of better supporting people living with dementia and their carers in living as well as possible. Read the report:
