Improving Mental Health for Persons with Dementia: Converging Studies’ Results and the Roads to Implementation

Abstract

Imagine living with dementia. What would your day look like? What would be your living experiences? What is the range of possible experiences? Despite diverse research aims-such as managing agitation, observing dressing habits, reporting on bathing practices, or examining the engaging potential of various stimuli-studies converge on common themes. These themes and study procedures offer guiding principles and practical examples for enhancing the daily lives of individuals with dementia. In this presentation, I will review various such studies that, despite their differing goals, reveal consistent patterns. We will explore the feasibility of implementing these principles and the requirements for successful integration. This analysis suggests the need for a fundamental shift in care premises, indicating that significant improvements in the quality of life for individuals with dementia can become possible. However, it also underscores the infrastructural limitations that may hinder this progress. Furthermore, it will illustrate how progress necessitates paradigm shifts that fundamentally revise the planning, training, and provision of care. This is an invitation for each of you to step forward, develop, and implement those changes, allowing us to learn from each other’s experiences and collectively improve dementiacare.

Closing Keynote: