Towards a Community-Based Dementia Care Strategy: How do We Get There from Here?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health Policy
• Dementia Care Research

Background:

• Most older adults, including persons living with dementia (PLWD), prefer to age in place.
• Many PLWD transition to residential long-term care (LTC) or hospitalization, often due to lack of community support.
• LTC is suitable for advanced dementia but can be a costly, avoidable outcome for those needing community-based care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the current state of community-based care for PLWD.
• To analyze dementia care policy in Ontario as a case study for system redirection.
• To identify strategies for a community-based dementia care model.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on the "state of the art" in community dementia care.
• Historical analysis of dementia care policy in Ontario.
• Application of a "balance of care" study in South West Ontario.
• Review of national and international dementia care strategies.

Main Results:

• Early and ongoing intervention is crucial for community-based dementia care.
• Lack of community-based options leads to premature institutionalization of PLWD.
• Ontario's policy landscape illustrates challenges in shifting from curative to preventative care models.

Conclusions:

• Engage PLWD in care decisions.
• Support informal caregivers.
• Implement "ground-up" policy changes for early intervention and continuum of care.
• Aim to maintain independence for PLWD and caregivers at home for as long as possible.