Health conditions and unmet needs for assistance to perform activities of daily living among older adults with dementia in Chile

Abstract

Objective:This study aims to address gaps in health conditions and unmet needs in dailyactivities between people with dementia (PWD) and without dementia in a developing countryand to identify the variables associated with unmet needs among PWD to guide practitionersand policymakers in dealing with an increased burden of dementia.Methods:Nationally representative data on 4655 Chileans age 60 and over were used tocompare health conditions and unmet needs in daily life activities between individuals with(N = 455, 9.6%) and without dementia. Regression analysis was conducted to identify the vari-ables associated with unmet needs among PWD.Results:Overall, PWD had worse health and needed greater assistance in performing dailyactivities than people without dementia. Among PWD, being male was associated with moreunmet needs, in both activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL. Lower educationallevel and fewer caregivers were associated with more unmet needs for ADL, while inferior func-tional ability was associated with more unmet needs for instrumental ADL.Conclusions:The results from this study call for action by practitioners and policymakers tofoster caregiver training, increase supportive services, and advance care planning for PWD