The National Research Summit on Dementia Care is set to take place October 16-17, 2017 in Bethesda, Maryland.
While previous summits have discussed how best to care for patients with dementia, this summit is unique in making the primary focus the research needed to provide and improve services for both patients and caregivers.
“As all of us in aging research know, the issue of taking care of older people – with and without dementia – is becoming more urgent,” Dr. Elena Fazio from the NIH/NIA Division of Behavioral and Social Research wrote in her blog. “New generation research can help us move forward with evidence-based programs, practices, and policies to meet these challenges today and in the future.”
Working off this new initiative, the summit aims to engage a wide community in a conversation about dementia. On the agenda are topics such as the demographics of dementia, support for family and other caregivers, and care coordination and management.
Ultimately, the conference aims to achieve the following goals:
- to improve quality of care for patients with dementia and their caregivers
- to accelerate development of evidence-based practices for these patients and caregivers
- to close the gap in resources for these patients and caregivers
The summit is a two-day meeting sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health with support from the private sector. The summit will be held in the William H. Natcher Building on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD, and is free and open to the public.