Context: Dementia is characterized by a decline in memory and day-to-day functioning, resulting in life-changing physical, emotional, and psychological stress on persons with dementia and their family. The projected impact of new dementia cases poses challenges for primary care providers (PCPs) around diagnosing and supporting patients and their families affected by this condition. Objective: This project aims to design, deliver, and evaluate an awareness campaign to improve how PCPs diagnose and provide post-diagnostic support for persons with dementia and their care partners. Study Design/Outcome Measures: COGNISANCE* uses a longitudinal mixed methods approach that will proceed through five phases over three years. Phase 1 (to be completed this summer) includes surveys and focus groups to explore the diagnostic process and post-diagnostic supports, including barriers and facilitators across settings. Lessons learned from this phase will be shared in this presentation and carried to Phase 2. This will include creating dementia care toolkits to enhance PCP knowledge of diagnostic and post-diagnostic support, and promote help-seeking behaviors in those at-risk or living with dementia. Phase 3 will involve the implementation of these toolkits across the participating countries through awareness campaigns. Phase 4 will evaluate the awareness campaign using the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Phase 5 will focus on sustaining and scaling the project, including helping locations beyond those involved in this project to develop awareness campaigns. Setting: Canada, Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Poland in partnership with the World Health Organisation, Alzheimer’s Disease International and Dementia Alliance International. Population Studied: People at-risk or with dementia, their care partners, as well as PCPs and other health care providers (HCPs). Results: The results from phase 1 will provide crucial data that will inform the development of the toolkits and awareness campaigns. The aim is to improve the knowledge of PCPs and other HCPs around the diagnosis and delivery of dementia care. The campaign will also improve the awareness of programs/services for seniors who are at-risk for dementia and their care partners. This project provides the opportunity to share lessons learned and improve dementia care at a provincial, national, and global level.
*https://cheba.unsw.edu.au/consortia/cognisance