New Publication on Dementia Care in BMC Geriatrics!
Rasita Vinay, Andrea Ferrario, Sophie Gloeckler and Nikola Biller-Andorno have recently published a new article in BMC Geriatrics, titled «Needs of key stakeholders to make advance care plans and advance directives for people with dementia: A scoping review».
The article synthesises evidence on the needs of people with dementia, caregivers and healthcare professionals when preparing advance care plans (ACP) and advance directives (AD). The review analysed 40 studies published between 2014 and 2024 to identify stakeholder-specific needs, procedural components and gaps in dementia-specific ACP/AD.
The review highlights that ACP and AD for dementia must be relational, flexible and ethically grounded, evolving with the individual’s condition and social context. It underscores the importance of dementia-specific tools and clinician training, the need for early and continuous engagement, and the value of public health outreach to improve awareness and equitable access.
The authors call for future work on co-designed, dementia-sensitive planning tools and inclusive decision-making models that can help reconcile the balance between autonomy and shared responsibility in dementia care.
The full article can be accessed here.