Implementing the Dementia Carers Support Initiative of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in a sub-Saharan African Setting

Global estimates suggest that by 2040, over 71% of people living with dementia worldwide will reside in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, informal caregivers, who are mostly close family members, may number over nine times the number of dementia patients. This group of carers often lacks the support they require for their exceptional effort. The United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides access to tailored psychosocial interventions as part of a comprehensive support for carers of patients with dementia. This paper appraises organizational considerations in introducing this initiative into the resource-poor health care delivery system typical of many sub-Saharan African settings. It concludes that one initial step in that direction may be the introduction—through a developmental change management framework led by all stakeholders—of a tailored carers’ information package into the routine care for dementia.