Interdisciplinary Cross-National Program on Dementia for Health Professionals in Japan

Abstract

Dementia is a major concern in serving the older population. Understanding it has become essential to the curriculum in geriatrics education in Japan. Given the untreatable nature of the disease, the goal of care is often to maximize independence of dementia-impaired elders in community-based long-term care settings by preventing disabilities caused by an excess of care that might exacerbate the symptoms of dementia. To prepare future front-line health professionals who will work in the allied health professions, we provided students from three associate degree colleges in Japan with a two-week summer institute at Harvard Medical School which trains them to become dementia specialists. The training experience increased participants' knowledge and interests in dementia care. Implications of these training efforts for future interdisciplinary care for dementia are discussed.