Implementation and Impact of the Dementia Friends Pilot in Washington State

Abstract

While the number of people with dementia is growing, there are currently limited opportunities to have conversations about dementia and the stigma that surrounds it. To begin to disrupt that stigma, we need to create spaces to learn about dementia and learn how to support those facing dementia. Dementia Friends, a global dementia awareness program, was developed to address this need. The program recruits and trains Dementia Champions who then host and recruit community members to participate in 90-minute dementia-awareness sessions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Dementia Friends program piloted in Washington State. We explored how the session impacted Dementia Friends participants’ attitudes towards people with dementia, what facilitated and hindered the implementation of the program, and what needed restructuring. We recruited 15 Dementia Champions, who in turn recruited 214 Dementia Friends participants. The Dementia Friends participants were given three surveys: an immediate pre-session survey, an immediate post-session survey, and a 1-month post-session survey, each including the Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) and open-ended questions to assess Dementia Friends participants’ attitudes towards people with dementia. The Dementia Champions participated in 30-minute interviews once they had hosted all of their Dementia Friends sessions to discuss the facilitators and barriers to being a Dementia Champion. We found that there was a statistically significant improvement in attitudes towards people with dementia, maintained through the 1-month follow-up. Dementia Friends participants also discussed appreciating the group atmosphere and accessible information, which helped them see the importance of understanding and patience when communicating with people with dementia. In terms of implementation, the Dementia Champions discussed the importance of individual Champion characteristics (such as strong social networks or experience giving presentations), organizational support, and accessibility of Dementia Friends sessions. Both Dementia Friends participants and Dementia Champions suggested several program alterations, such as including more clinical information, allowing more time for interactions between Dementia Friends participants, recruiting Dementia Champions from diverse backgrounds, increasing logistical support to Dementia Champions, and better equipping Dementia Champions to organize and host their sessions. Both Dementia Friends participants and Dementia Champions agreed that the Dementia Friends program is creating an important space to hold conversations and increase awareness about dementia. While improvements were suggested to better support Dementia Champions and improve accessibility of the program, the Dementia Friends program should be considered as a tool to continue spreading dementia awareness.