The place for dementia-friendly communities in England and its relationship with epidemiological need

Woodward, Michael, Arthur, Antony, Darlington, Nicole, Buckner, Stefanie, Killett, Anne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4080-8365, Thurman, John, Buswell, Marina, Lafortune, Louise, Mathie, Elspeth, Mayrhofer, Andrea and Goodman, Claire (2019) The place for dementia-friendly communities in England and its relationship with epidemiological need. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34 (1). pp. 67-71. ISSN 0885-6230

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Abstract

Objectives: The dementia‐friendly community (DFC) initiative was set up to enable people living with dementia to remain active, engaged, and valued members of society. Dementia prevalence varies nationally and is strongly associated with the age and sex distribution of the population and level of social deprivation. As part of a wider project to evaluate DFCs, we examined whether there is a relationship between provision of DFCs and epidemiological need. Methods: Dementia‐friendly communities were identified through the formal recognition process of DFC status by the Alzheimer's Society and mapped against areas defined by English Clinical Commissioning Groups. We tested whether provision of a DFC was associated with: (1) dementia prevalence, (2) number of known cases, and (3) known plus estimated number of unknown cases. Results: Of the 209 English Clinical Commissioning Group areas, 115 had at least one DFC. The presence of a DFC was significantly associated with number of known dementia cases (mean difference = 577; 95% CI, 249 to 905; P = 0.001) and unknown dementia cases (mean difference = 881; 95% CI, 349 to 1413; P = 0.001) but not prevalence (mean difference = 0.03; 95% CI, −0.09 to 0.16; P = 0.61). This remains true when controlling for potential confounding variables. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that DFC provision is consistent with epidemiological‐based need. Dementia‐friendly communities are located in areas where they can have the greatest impact. A retrospective understanding of how DFCs have developed in England can inform how equivalent international initiatives might be designed and implemented.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: dementia-friendly community,epidemiological need,mapping,geriatrics and gerontology,psychiatry and mental health,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2717
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Dementia & Complexity in Later Life
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 08 Oct 2018 15:30
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2023 02:17
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/68426
DOI: 10.1002/gps.4987

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