Brazil – Developing Capacity for Long-Term Care of Older Adults Living with Dementia
Michael Lepore, PhD, Professor, UM School of Nursing
Ester Villalonga Olives, PhD, MSc, Assistant Professor, UM School of Pharmacy
This study brings together a new, interdisciplinary research team across the Schools of Nursing and Pharmacy with expertise in social gerontology, epidemiology, geriatric medicine and nursing, to advance person-centered, residential dementia care of older adults in Brazil. Over 40 million older adults and their families world-wide struggle with the physical and behavioral symptoms and emotional distress of living with Alzheimer's Disease and related major neurocognitive disorders, the majority of whom live in low and middle-income countries. This study is the first step in a program of research to adapt person-centered dementia care to address this disparate impact, in the context of emerging residential care in Brazil. Lessons learned may enhance our capacity to address dementia-related health disparities in low-resource long-term care settings in the US and low and middle-income countries alike.