Abstract
Caring for persons with dementia is demanding for caregivers and perplexing to their physicians. Presently, there is a disproportionate amount of literature focused on screening, diagnosis, differentiating etiology, pathology, and medication. Major research has predominately focused on pharmacological intervention, which has lead to a tremendous volume of journal articles and books on this particular subject. There are many scales and assessment tools that guide healthcare providers to screen and diagnose persons with dementia. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines that offer a synthesis emphasizing the existing evidence regarding risk reduction management. Our emphasis will be on what needs to be done once the person has been diagnosed with dementia. The Dementia Dashboard is a guideline, that is, a dashboard that will guide the care and management of persons with dementia. It is in essence a guide to care for the individual over a continuum, from diagnosis to death. The Dementia Dashboard should help to decrease the gap between research-based evidence and current practice by providing caregivers, physicians, and health systems with a framework of guiding principles for the care of a person with dementia. The structural framework is based on identifying and anticipating the potential risks of adverse outcomes in a person with dementia. The goal of the Dementia Dashboard is to empower healthcare providers by providing a management guideline with interventional strategies for improving outcomes in the care of persons with dementia. This dashboard should not only guide but also educate audience members on current evidence-based standards for successfully managing the continuum of care in persons with dementia.