SCIE Research briefing 35: Black and minority ethnic people with dementia and their access to support and services

Key messages

• An increase in the number of older black and minority ethnic (BME) people in the UK is likely to lead to an increased need for dementia services.
• Lower levels of awareness about dementia and the existence of stigma within BME communities help explain why BME people are currently under-represented in dementia services.
• However, staff can adopt several approaches to improving the uptake of services, such as developing different information resources and appointing workers with responsibility for outreach.
• Staff working in dementia services would like more training on how to give culturally acceptable care and support to BME people with dementia.
• Carers of BME people with dementia may feel reluctant to ask for help, although support in the form of carers’ groups and respite services may be appreciated. Different communities may have differing views about whether they wish these services to be culturally specific or mixed.
• The current UK evidence base on supporting BME people with dementia and their carers is very limited and reliant upon a small number of local studies.