Association between Support after Dementia Diagnosis and Subsequent Decrease in Social Participation.

We are writing this letter to accelerate research and discussion on the nature of post-diagnostic support for dementia. Accurate diagnosis of dementia provides a gateway to care and support for people living with dementia and their relatives. 1) The reasons for recommending early diagnosis is that cognitive rehabilitation in the milder stages of dementia was suggested to be effective in preventing further impairment. 2) National plans focused on early diagnosis of dementia have been initiated in many countries. 3) However, the stigma and anxiety associated with diagnosis of dementia without care and support may reduce social participation. 4) Also, post-diagnostic support is supposed to moderate the negative impact, but little is known about the delivery and effectiveness of the support. Therefore, we have analyzed the association between post-diagnosis support and subsequent changes in social participation using data from an online survey.