Reviewing the development of national dementia plans: Implications for Vietnam

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundVietnam, a country with a rapidly ageing population, is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) and agreed to develop a national dementia plan consistent with the WHO’s guidelines in 2018. Recently, steps towards this plan have been implemented with national workshops and the development of research activities related to dementia. This paper reviews 32 national dementia plans (NDPs), based on the WHO’s guideline and WHO’s Global Dementia Observatory’s indicators (GDO), to inform the Vietnamese plan.MethodsData were extracted from 32 NDPs identified from the Alzheimer’s Disease International’s website regarding the vision, mission, objectives, framework, principles, priorities, stakeholders, budget, implementation and evaluation. We compared the plans using the WHO’s guideline and GDO.ResultsMost NDPs were from high‐income countries with only two from middle‐income countries and one from a low‐income country. Overarching visions encompassed improving the quality of life for persons with dementia. Principles covered respect, dignity, accessibility and equity. All plans addressed the seven priority areas advocated by the WHO, but differences in priorities were aligned with national situational analyses. There were similarities across NDPs: to improve awareness of dementia, reduce stigma, develop support services, improve quality of care, improve training and education, and improve dementia research. The process of developing the NDPs involved stakeholders including persons with dementia and their carers, civil society, central government units, state or provincial representatives, older people, disability associations, and local non‐governmental and international organisations.ConclusionThis review provides an important resource for countries yet to develop their national dementia plans, both on plan content, the process of development, implementation and evaluation.