Pathways of care: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to engaging dementia care among underserved and minority populations in the US and Germany.

Objective: To identify barriers and facilitators to the use of formal dementia services among underserved and minority groups (UMG) in the United States and Germany.

Method: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with caregivers ( = 18) of persons with dementia in the United States and Germany. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Caregivers described their experiences in three stages of seeking, initiating, and utilizing care, and different factors served to hinder or enable the use of care services in each stage. The most important factors included limited knowledge about dementia, challenges interacting with healthcare systems, and how closely formal services met the expectations and needs of caregivers, particularly with regard to accommodating cultural or ethnic/racial identity. Caregivers preferred interacting with service care providers who shared a similar identity to receive information or services.

Conclusion: Barriers and facilitators to using dementia care services vary by stage of engaging services and may be shared across different healthcare contexts. Targeting specific barriers and strengthening facilitators could help reduce disparities in dementia care among UMG.