Meeting the Challenge of Caring for Persons Living with Dementia and Their Care Partners and Caregivers

Millions of people are living with dementia in the United States and globally. 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. Persons living with dementia co-manage their care with or rely on the support of a wide range of care partners and caregivers, including spouses, other family members and friends, and direct care workers in homes or residential care settings. While dementia care has improved since the 1970s, many individuals 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. 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 rigorous, cutting-edge methods that are inclusive, equitable, and yield critical information for real-world implementation, toward the ultimate goal of better supporting persons living with dementia and their care partners and caregivers in living as well as possible. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Moving Toward Better Dementia Care, Services, and Supports 3 Complexity of Systems for Dementia Care, Services, and Supports 4 Making Decisions About Implementation 5 Assessing the Current State of Evidence 6 A Blueprint for Future Research Appendix A: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Systematic Review and Inclusion Criteria Appendix B: Public Meeting Agendas Appendix C: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff