
Specially qualified nurses with extended roles—known as Dementia Care Managers—can measurably improve the care of people with dementia living at home. This is the finding of a study conducted by DZNE in collaboration with partners from the medical and health care sectors. More than 400 people with mild to moderate dementia participated in this research. Care provided by Dementia Care Managers reduced unmet needs more effectively than standard care and improved the quality of life of the affected individuals.
Based on these findings, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the Innovation Committee of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) recommends transferring Dementia Care Management into routine care. The G-BA is the highest decision-making body of the joint self-government of physicians, dentists, hospitals and health insurance funds in Germany.
“Due to the positive experiences from previous pilot projects, Dementia Care Management is already recommended by the S3 medical guideline for dementia in Germany. It is also part of the National Dementia Strategy,” explains Prof. Wolfgang Hoffmann, health care researcher at DZNE’s Rostock/Greifswald site and managing director of the Institute for Community Medicine at Greifswald University Medicine.
“The positive vote coming from the G-BA now gives this approach further momentum. We are very committed to implementing dementia care management in practice. The impact goes beyond the care of people with dementia: Dementia Care Management strengthens the responsibility of the nursing profession and effectively relieves the burden on general practitioners.”
More information:
Anika Rädke et al, Efficacy and cost?effectiveness of extended nursing roles in dementia care: Results of the cluster?randomized trial InDePendent, Alzheimer’s & Dementia (2025). DOI: 10.1002/alz.70727
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