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About the project
There are 15,000 people living with dementia (PLWD) in New Brunswick. This population, their care partners (CPs), and their health and social care providers (HSCPs) experience challenges through the dementia diagnostic process and with the delivery of post-diagnostic support. The Forward with Dementia (FWD) project aimed to design, deliver, and evaluate an awareness campaign that improved these identified problem areas. Specifically, they aimed to:
- improve HSCPs’ communication of dementia diagnoses and their provision of support during the first year following diagnoses
- increase the knowledge and use of existing services and supports for PLWD and their CPs
Conclusions and lessons learned
- The information and tools available on the website appear to be most helpful for people who have recently been diagnosed, or who have a family member/friend who was recently diagnosed.
- Connecting with older adults virtually emphasized the need for accessible technology training and the willingness of older adults to learn new skills and engage in project initiatives.
- Overall, participants felt that the information provided on the websites and at the webinars was helpful. The campaign helped CPs better understand dementia and nearly all HSCPs planned to use what they learned through FWD in their healthcare practice.
Recommendations
- The project team along with international partners have tested the FWD awareness campaign in five countries and have developed recommendations that are detailed in the FWD Playbook.
- Although the virtual information was useful, the project team feels that older adults might benefit from a dementia diagnosis and support advisor within the health and social care system.
To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 147 KB)