Managing employees with dementia: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Dementia Care Management
• Human Resources

Background:

• Limited understanding of employer experiences and needs regarding employees developing dementia.
• Focus has primarily been on the employee's perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review literature on managing employees who develop dementia while in employment.
• To identify employer perspectives, experiences, and needs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, etc.).
• Inclusion of 44 documents (journal papers, thesis, grey literature).
• Thematic synthesis of qualitative data.

Main Results:

• Identified three key themes: early workplace identification, reasonable adjustments for working-age dementia, and information provision.
• Evidence suggests a lack of employer awareness about working-age dementia, negatively impacting employees.
• Guidance for employers offers suggestions for good practice.

Conclusions:

• Employer guidance is available but often lacks an evidence base.
• Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of employer guidance and training.
• Showcasing best practices for supporting employees with dementia in the workplace is needed.