Abstract
There is growing interest in Dementia Friendly initiatives: programs designed to improve services and promote engagement for persons with dementia (PwD). We present an innovative “Dementia Friendly Hospital” (DFH) model which adopts a holistic approach to improving the healthcare experience for PwD. Six components include 1) clinical staff training in person-centered care, 2) non-clinical staff training, 3) DFH environmental design improvements, 4) identifying DFH Champions among employees, 5) securing support from management, and 6) collaboration with the local community. We describe facilitators and barriers to implementation in a large Veterans Affairs medical center, with 2,000 employees serving 43,000 patients. A brief training for non-clinical staff led to a 30% increase in dementia knowledge, and system-wide improvements are continuing, including incorporation of DFH design principles into ongoing construction projects. This novel approach reflects system-community collaboration and represents a promising initiative for transforming healthcare culture and improving person-directed care for PwD.