RAND Corporation Researcher Focuses on Dementia (Barriers and Facilitators to Home- and Community-Based Services Access for Persons With Dementia and Their Caregivers): Neurodegenerative Diseases and Conditions – Dementia

2023 MAY 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on dementia are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting out of Santa Monica, California, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The United States has seen increasing shifts toward home- and community-based services (HCBS) in place of institutional care for long-term services and supports. However, research has neglected to assess whether these shifts have improved access to HCBS for persons with dementia.”

Funders for this research include National Institutes of Health.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from RAND Corporation: “This paper identifies HCBS access barriers and facilitators, and discusses how barriers contribute to disparities for persons with dementia living in rural areas and exacerbate disparities for minoritized populations. We analyzed qualitative data from 35 in-depth interviews. Interviews were held with stakeholders in the HCBS ecosystem, including Medicaid administrators, advocates for persons with dementia and caregivers, and HCBS providers. Barriers to HCBS access for persons with dementia range from community and infrastructure barriers (e.g., clinicians and cultural differences), to interpersonal and individual-level barriers (e.g., caregivers, awareness, and attitudes). These barriers affect the health and quality of life for persons with dementia and may affect whether individuals can remain in their home or community. Facilitators included a range of more comprehensive and dementia-attuned practices and services in health care, technology, recognition and support for family caregivers, and culturally competent and linguistically accessible education and services.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “System refinements, such as incentivizing cognitive screening, can improve detection and increase access to HCBS. Disparities in HCBS access experienced by minoritized persons with dementia may be addressed through culturally competent awareness campaigns and policies that recognize the necessity of familial caregivers in supporting persons with dementia. These findings can inform efforts to ensure more equitable access to HCBS, improve dementia competence, and reduce disparities.”

For more information on this research see: Barriers and Facilitators to Home- and Community-Based Services Access for Persons With Dementia and Their Caregivers. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2023. The publisher for The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is Oxford University Press (OUP).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad039.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Molly Waymouth, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, United States. Additional authors for this research include Daniel Siconolfi, Esther M Friedman, Debra Saliba, Sangeeta C Ahluwalia, Regina A Shih.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the authors of this research: Molly Waymouth (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8626-2508), Esther M Friedman (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6813-6471), Debra Saliba (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5177-6616).

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