Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) affect over 50 million persons globally, and the number is expected to rise. In response, health ministries are developing and implementing policies and programs to systemically address the needs of individuals and families affected by ADRD. While national plans of action on ADRD are advancing among European Member States of World Health Organization (WHO), those in the Asia-Pacific and Americas are lagging behind. Since previous studies have largely ignored the Americas and Asia-Pacific—where approximately two-thirds of the global ADRD population resides—this study sought to identify (a) the socioeconomic factors associated with the likelihood of having a national dementia policy, and (b) to examine common and differing features among the national plans in these regions. Employing the dementia policy guidelines of WHO and the Pan American Health Organization as an extraction guide for data collection and analysis, the national dementia plans and available socioeconomic data of 10 Member States were analyzed with comparative and qualitative analyses. Findings suggested at least a 14-fold increase in the likelihood of having a national dementia plan if a Member State had one of the following: a universal health care system, more than 14% of the population 65 years of age or older, or high-income. All the Member States in the study identified dementia as a public health priority, but priorities differed. Inconsistencies included development of information systems, training for health care professionals, and long-term care systems.
The Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) tested whether in-home social work case management (SWCM) or SWCM combined with access to a website providing stoke-related information improved outcomes relative to usual care for patients discharged home post-stroke and their caregivers. The aims of this secondary analysis are 1) to describe the actual support social work case managers (SWCM) provided to MISTT participants and 2) use select case studies to illustrate the relationship between SWCM and quantitative patient and caregiver outcomes. Data for the study were derived from SWCM case notes on 157 patients and their caregivers who received the MISTT intervention. Case notes were coded in two steps with a subset of cases coded by two researchers and reviewed for interrater reliability in each step. The first round of coding was guided by primary SWCM intervention goals. The second round of coding identified SWCM sub-themes within each primary goal. Key themes indicate SWCMs aided with understanding the post-hospitalization period, helped patients navigate a range of systems and services, identified needs and supported patient goals, provided psychosocial support, and centered support on stroke recovery and prevention. Case studies illustrate ways in which SWCM were key supports during the transition period, but that support does not cleanly align with quantitative findings from patient-reported outcomes. This study aligns with a growing body of work documenting the complexity of transitions of care and has implications for how we support patients and caregivers as they move from inpatient to outpatient care and measure outcomes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.