The Dementia Care Partner Hub: An innovative approach to addressing unmet social and health needs

Abstract The well‐being of care partners of people living with dementia, who are family, friends, or neighbors and often unpaid, is often not addressed explicitly in clinical dementia care. Care partners, especially those from systematically marginalized communities, experience substantial unmet social and behavioral needs. We reviewed role model programs and conducted focus groups and interviews with care partners and representatives of community organizations and government agencies. We developed the concept of a Dementia Care Partner Hub as a “one‐stop shop” to connect dementia care partners and service providers with information and resources, meeting a need that is not currently addressed in many communities. While the primary data collection was conducted in Oregon, the findings have relevance for many communities. While various care partner initiatives have been implemented at the federal and state levels, multiple gaps remain. The Dementia Care Partner Hub offers a systematic solution to network existing community resources.