Demystifying the Dementia Divide

We will explore the literature on therapeutic approaches for working with people living with dementia symptoms, as well as existing interventions for BPSD. Both of these areas will be explored within the context of a global community, by grounding our discussion in WHO’s Global Action Plan on Dementia (GAP). We will place the concepts of dementia – first, as a medical diagnosis and second, as the lived experiences with dementia symptoms – on a global stage by exploring GAP’s seven action steps within the context of three counties: Japan, India, and the United States. A comprehensive review of dementia will prepare us for moving into what we can consider as a pre-diagnosis phase: testing, screening, and assessment. We will pay particular attention to cultural relevance and appropriateness of cognitive assessments. We will then move our discussion to the post-diagnosis process by discussing death, dementia, loss, and life. We will gain and strengthen our understanding of several therapeutic approaches that can be adopted to support the dementia grief integration process. By exploring the historical roots of attachment theory and the roles the self-other dyad plays in living with dementia symptoms, we will be prepared to conceptualize the process of change from micro to macro levels. We will conclude this chapter by considering necessary and important areas of dementia grief work.