JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Dementia, a leading cause of disability and mortality among older adults, affects over 55 million people globally, with projections nearing 139 million by 2050 due to aging populations. In 2019, dementia contributed to 1.6 million deaths and imposed a staggering economic burden exceeding $1.3 trillion in 2022. Despite its profound societal and personal impacts, dementia care faces systemic challenges, including cultural misconceptions that delay diagnosis, environmental factors like climate change and air pollution linked to cognitive decline, and fragmented healthcare responses. Cultural barriers in developing nations often normalize cognitive decline as part of aging, delaying medical intervention and exacerbating stigma. Concurrently, environmental risks—extreme heat, pollution, and climate instability—highlight the need for intergenerational preventive strategies, such as education equity and pollution mitigation. Non-pharmacological interventions like reminiscence therapy (RT) offer promise, leveraging personal memories and immersive technologies (e.g., virtual reality) to enhance cognitive and emotional well-being. RT not only alleviates depressive symptoms in diagnosed patients but also holds preventive potential for middle-aged populations through early cognitive resilience building. Effective dementia care requires holistic, policy-driven approaches integrating medical, social, and environmental interventions. Proactive public health measures—early cognitive screenings, community-based support networks, and national initiatives like the UK’s NHS dementia programs—are critical for early detection and sustainable care. Future research must prioritize culturally sensitive, non-pharmacological solutions and evaluate their scalability across diverse regions. Addressing dementia demands a global, multidisciplinary effort to reduce stigma, mitigate environmental risks, and foster inclusive care models that bridge medical and social domains, ultimately enhancing quality of life for patients, families, and caregivers worldwide.