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The place for dementia‐friendly communities in England and its relationship with epidemiological need
Author(s) -
Woodward Michael,
Arthur Antony,
Darlington Nicole,
Buckner Stefanie,
Killett Anne,
Thurman John,
Buswell Marina,
Lafortune Louise,
Mathie Elspeth,
Mayrhofer Andrea,
Goodman Claire
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.4987
Subject(s) - dementia , epidemiology , confounding , project commissioning , population , gerontology , medicine , set (abstract data type) , psychology , demography , psychiatry , environmental health , publishing , sociology , pathology , political science , disease , computer science , law , programming language
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.