Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

The World Health Organization has identified dementia as a public health priority. Many national and provincial guidelines have been developed to better prepare the healthcare system for the screening, diagnosis and management of dementia. However, despite these efforts, persons with dementia and their caregiver are often dissatisfied by the diagnostic process and the post-diagnosis support provided. The goal of this study is to take a look at the current situation in Quebec and to identify barriers and facilitators to dementia diagnosis and post-diagnosis care. To do so, we will recruit 50 recently diagnosed patients, 50 caregivers, and 50 healthcare professionals. We will ask them to fill-out a questionnaire on their experience during the diagnostic process and the support received post-diagnosis. Then, we will create focus groups for each sub-groups, composed of 6 to 10 participants each, and invite them to talk about the barriers and facilitators they perceive. This study constitutes the first step in an international project involving five countries (Canada, Australia, Poland, the Netherland, and the UK) with the aim of co-designing and delivering toolkits and campaigns to improve the dementia diagnostic process and post-diagnostic support, in partnership with people with dementia, family care partners and health care professionals.