Supporting workplace information needs of people with dementia

Dementia, a broad term for a range of brain diseases that are generally characterised by memory loss, aphasia, decreased social inhibition, and other symptoms, has no cure and is not a normal part of ageing. It is, however, an international epidemic. Approximately 47.5 million people worldwide have dementia. These numbers are only expected to increase, and dementia care has therefore become an international public health priority (World Health Organisation, 2015). The changes that occur in the brains of people with dementia decrease their ability to make sense of information, a process which requires the utilisation of individual cognitive processes as well as the involvement of social and cultural contexts (Sabb & Riss, 2011). Information needs change throughout the course of the disease as well. For example, people either at risk for dementia or in the early stages of it might wish to consider whether they want to give consent to advance research directives in preparation for when the disease progresses (Pierce, 2010), a decision that requires information about their prognosis as well as the research that might be undertaken.