Evolving national dementia policies in the OECD: Prevention, diagnosis, and care

Dementia incurs yearly costs of nearly 1.3 trillion US dollars worldwide, projected to rise significantly in the coming decades due to population aging. This policy review provides an overview of the latest national dementia strategies, diagnostic guidelines, and treatment guidelines across 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Our findings suggest that national dementia policies increasingly emphasize prevention through modifiable risk factors, early diagnosis, and non-pharmacological treatment approaches, progressing toward more coordinated care pathways. Clinical guidelines have evolved to incorporate new research evidence and practices in dementia diagnostics and treatment over the past decade. Despite updates to policy frameworks, we identified a gap between policy and action, with varying degrees of implementation and support for improving diagnosis and adopting new treatments. We identified a series of policy efforts that could be undertaken to enhance the quality of care for people living with dementia.