Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
6-1-2026
Journal
Alzheimer's & Dementia
DOI
10.1002/alz.71619
PMID
42324989
PMCID
PMC13284736
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
6-22-2026
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Over half of dementia cases remain undiagnosed, with persistent disparities across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Dementia care navigation (DCN) has demonstrated value in post-diagnosis settings. If implemented earlier, DCN could address diagnostic delays and care gaps. We define the diagnostic window as the period from initial symptom awareness through diagnosis and early care planning. Drawing on deliberations from the Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Navigation Roundtable, we present a pre-diagnosis DCN framework organized across six domains and describe navigator roles across three phases: pre-evaluation, diagnostic assessment, and immediate post-diagnosis and transition. We address special considerations, including people without a care partner and those with unmet care needs. The framework complements federal initiatives such as the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model and the National Alzheimer's Project Act and identifies existing reimbursement pathways for pre-diagnostic navigation activities. Generating evidence to refine these models across diverse settings will be essential to inform policy action and system-level integration.
Keywords
Humans, Dementia, Patient Navigation, Delayed Diagnosis, Treatment Delay, care navigation, dementia diagnosis, GUIDE model, health equity, mild cognitive impairment, pre‐diagnosis
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Carriere, Lucille; Minyo, Morgan; Bass, David; et al., "Bridging the Diagnostic Gap: Expanding Dementia Care Navigation for Timely Diagnosis" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1507.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1507