The rapidly increasing number of individuals living with dementia presents a significant, multifaceted challenge for the American healthcare system. Over 6 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, a number projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050. This population is dispersed across various care settings, including primary care, community care, long-term care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted living communities, adult day health, home health services, and acute care. Each of these care settings has its own regulatory requirements, resources, and levels of trained staff, leading to significant variability in the dementia care provided. The diversity of care settings, combined with the lack of mandatory dementia-specific certifications, the voluntary nature of existing certifications, varying state-specific requirements, as well as varied continuing education amongst different healthcare professionals, raises concerns about the consistency and quality of dementia care.

This rapid response project aims to: 

• Examine current literature on dementia certification for providers
• Review existing certification options for dementia care
• Discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of certifying dementia care providers

For more information, contact [email protected].