Improving Outpatient Clinic Staff’s Knowledge and Attitudes on Dementia

Educational sessions can address misconceptions and shift attitudes about dementia among outpatient clinical staff, according to study results presented at the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurse Association 2025 Annual Conference (GAPNA 2025), held from September 11 to 13, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The purpose of this project is to improve knowledge and confidence among staff in outpatient clinics in interacting with individuals living with dementia through participation in Dementia Friends (DF),” said Anna Caldwell, DNP, MPH, APRN-CNP.

“As we know, the number of individuals living with dementia continues to grow, and with that growing number, the number of people needing to seek care in a variety of outpatient clinical settings is also continuing to grow,” Dr Caldwell said. “Multiple outpatient clinic staff members are involved in the process of seeking care from making the appointment to being seen in clinic and that continuation of care.”

In a variety of interactive scenarios, the DF sessions break down misconceptions about dementia with a focus on 5 key messages:

1. Dementia is not a normal part of aging.
2. Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain.
3. Dementia is not just about memory loss.
4. It is possible to live well with dementia.
5. There is more to a person than their dementia.

Across 15 outpatient sites, 154 clinic staff members completed a 1 hour-long DF session and either a pre-session or post-session survey; 53 participants completed both surveys. According to the survey results, the DF sessions resulted in an increase in knowledge about dementia and an attitude shift.

More participants gave a correct response (false) to the true/false statement “Dementia is a normal part of aging” after completing the DF session (P <.039). Nearly all respondents (96.5%) stated that they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they learned something new from the session. On a Likert-style scale, participants rated that they were more “confident interacting with people living with dementia” after completing the DF session.

This article originally appeared on Clinical Advisor