INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Abstract
t: The number of community-dwelling people with dementia (PwD) is rising, and the role
of their relatives is crucial in addressing and mitigating the implications of dementia on health care
systems and on society. We developed a new conceptual framework to promote the collaboration of
the community in supporting relatives who are caring for a PwD as well as a range of stakeholders
in embracing dementia. A qualitatively driven, multi-method study divided into three phases was
performed from 2019 to 2021. A qualitative descriptive study, a mixed-method systematic review and
three consensus workshops were conducted, and their results were triangulated. The final version of
the Community Collaboration Concept Framework is composed of three main domains based upon
seven components: (1) embracing dementia; (2) creating empowerment and a sense of community;
(3) collaborating through cocreation and design thinking. The new framework is based on the
literature, the synthesis of empirical data and the consensus of a panel of international experts,
supporting the global goal of improving community inclusiveness and collaboration. Further studies
are needed to confirm its validity, how it should be implemented in practice in various settings and
to propose improvements when designing projects based upon it
