4. Implications and conclusion

The literature review revealed that the most common underlying factors that influence reduced participation and access to dementia care and support programs among immigrant and refugee populations were stigma, culturally preferred coping strategies, misconceptions regarding aging and dementia, and language barriers. In particular, coping strategies were significantly influenced by the stigma associated with dementia as most cultures preferred concealment to avoid being negatively labeled in the community [15]. Misconceptions regarding aging and normalization of dementia are a commonly observed phenomenon among the majority of the wellknown cultures in Europe and North America [16].

Research conducted on sociocultural factors and access to dementia care is often conducted among caregivers as opposed to the persons with dementia themselves, where conclusions made regarding the needs of persons with dementia were obtained indirectly from their care partners, formal and informal caregivers, and service providers. The rationale behind this approach was largely due to the difficulty of conducting research on persons with dementia as a result of their levels of cognitive impairment. In particular, there is a lack of empirical evidence obtained directly from persons living with dementia among migrated and refugee populations. Moreover, majority of the existing research about dementia care were conducted in certain countries such as in Europe and Australia. Findings from North American settings focused mainly on the American immigrants with dementia. There is a lack of research about the influencing sociocultural factors and access to dementia care/support programs among Canadian migrants. Most research examined barriers to access related to geographical location, economic status, educational level, and knowledge of dementia/care. There is a lack of empirical evidence on the impact of how stigma, cultural background, and language influence appropriate access to dementia support programs among migrants. There is also a lack of research that focuses on identifying the existing needs among immigrant populations with dementia in regard to their access to dementia care. These findings highlight the need to conduct further research on Canadian immigrants/refugees with dementia to further explore the key barriers faced by these populations in regard to accessing dementia care and support programs, as well as to identify the facilitating factors that meet the unique needs of Canadian migrants to promote living well with dementia.

Currently there are 564,000 Canadians living with dementia, and this number is doubling every 20 years [12, 30]. In addition to the rising number of persons with dementia, there has been a shift in the population triangle of Canada, with an increasing number of the population reaching the age 65 and up, which is the most vulnerable stage of life to develop dementia [30]. In particular, migratory increase has been identified as the major driving force of population growth in Canada,

An Examination of Factors Influencing Equitable Access to Dementia Care and Support… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84858

which indicates a change in the composition of the population with an increased cultural diversity [31]. As a result, it is imperative to increase our understanding of the influence of sociocultural factors in relation to equitable access of dementia care and support programs among the Canadian migrants. This knowledge is vital to the future transformation of the existing programs and services, shaping them to be more culturally inclusive for the marginalized, migrated, and refugee populations in Canada.
