ABSTRACT
Background: Dementia involves a progressive decline in many functional areas. Policy and practice guidelines
should cover the entire course of the disease from early detection to the end-of-life. The present study aimed
to evaluate the contents of national dementia strategies with a focus on palliative care content.
Methods: We employed qualitative content analyses. Sixteen national dementia strategies from 14 countries
were reviewed. Using open coding, the contents were compared to the domains and recommendations of the
palliative care in dementia white paper of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC).
Results: Although palliative care was not explicitly referred to in eight of the 14 countries and only to a limited
extent in three countries, a number of domains from the EAPC white paper were well represented, including
“person-centered care, communication, and shared decision making”; “continuity of care”; and “family care
and involvement.” Three countries that referred to palliative care did so explicitly, with two domains being well
represented: “education of the health care team”; and “societal and ethical issues.” The strategies all lacked
reference to the domain of “prognostication and timely recognition of dying” and to spiritual caregiving.
Conclusions: National dementia strategies cover part of the recent definition of palliative care in dementia,
although they do not frequently label these references as “palliative care.” In view of the growing numbers of
people dying with dementia, preparation for the last phase of life should be added to national strategies.