Contrairement aux préjugés, les personnes aînées ne sont pas asexuelles ou post-sexuelles. Elles sont titulaires de droits sexuels, reconnus dans de nombreux textes législatifs. Cependant, la mise en œuvre de ces droits pose des défis, particulièrement pour les personnes aînées vivant en établissement et souffrant de problèmes neurocognitifs. Le Code criminel interdit tout contact sexuel entre personnes qui ne sont pas en mesure de consentir ou lorsqu’un des partenaires ne peut consentir. Cette règle a été critiquée parce qu’elle nie le droit à l’expression sexuelle de personnes aînées incapables de consentir en raison de maladies neurocognitives. Mon étude analyse un enjeu majeur en matière de lutte contre la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées : comment reconnaître et respecter à la fois le droit à l’expression sexuelle des personnes aînées vivant en établissement et leur droit à la sécurité, lorsque les maladies neurocognitives altèrent l’aptitude à consentir.

In 2020, the fifth Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD5) published up-to-date recommendations for the clinical management of persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers. During the CCCDTD5 meetings, a list of recommendations for dementia care was compiled. With the aid of family physicians and the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, we selected the most relevant CCCDTD5 recommendations for primary care and tailored and summarized them in the present manuscript to facilitate their reference and use. These recommendations focus on (a) risk reduction, (b) screening and diagnosis, (c) deprescription of dementia medications, and (d) non-pharmacological interventions. The development of recommendations for the ongoing management of dementia is an iterative process as new evidence on interventions for dementia is published. These recommendations are important in the primary care setting as the entry point for PLWD into the health system.

Recruiting persons with dementia for clinical trials can be challenging. Building on a guide initially developed to assist primary-care-based memory clinics in their efforts to support research, a key stakeholder working group meeting was held to develop a standardized research recruitment process, with input from patients, care partners, researchers, and clinicians. Discussions in this half-day facilitated meeting focused on the wishes and needs of patients and care partners, policy and procedures for researchers, information provided to patients, and considerations for memory clinics. Patients and care partners valued the opportunity to contribute to science and provided important insights on how to best facilitate recruitment. Discussions regarding proposed processes and procedures for research recruitment highlighted the need for a new, patient-driven approach. Accordingly, a key stakeholder co-designed “Memory Clinic Research Match” program was developed that has the potential to overcome existing barriers and to increase recruitment for dementia-related research.

The use of communities of practice (CoP) to support the application of knowledge in improved geriatric care practice is not widely understood. This case study’s aim was to gain a deeper understanding of the knowledge-to-action (KTA) processes of a CoP focused on environmental design, to improve how persons with dementia find their way around in long-term care (LTC) homes. Qualitative data were collected (key informant interviews, observations, and document review), and analysed using emergent coding. CoP members contributed extensive knowledge to the KTA process characterized by the following themes: team dynamics, employing a structured process, technology use, varied forms of knowledge, and a clear initiative. The study’s CoP effectively synthesized and translated knowledge into practical tools to inform changes in practice, programs, and policy on dementia care. More research is needed on how to involve patients and caregivers in the KTA processes, and to ensure that practical application of knowledge has financial and policy support