| 206 These unmet needs identify support needs that go beyond the typical biomedical approach which focuses on mediating symptoms. There has been a shift towards a psychosocial approach focused on living well with dementia (37). This is closely aligned with the concept of positive health that centers around self-management and the ability to adapt (38). Self-management consists of the following core elements; problem solving, decision making, resource utilization, forming relationships with healthcare professionals, and taking action (39). The shifts towards positive health and a psychosocial approach hold implications on how support is being provided with supporting self-management through information provision, relationships with healthcare professionals and person-centered care being important factors. A wide range of informational needs have been identified in the literature such as general dementia information, treatment options and understanding of dementia behavior and symptoms (40). Chapter 4 showed that informational needs are different between people with dementia and informal caregivers, it is therefore vital to tailor information to address the informational needs of people with dementia and informal caregivers separately. Web-based information is frequently utilized in addressing unmet informational needs. Web-based information has many advantages such as being widely accessible to anyone with an interest in the topic. Web-based information has been cited as the most used source of information on dementia (41). National and international dementia agencies offer online information on dementia (42-44). However, there are also some barriers, the main barrier being that those who don’t have access to the internet or don’t have the skills required to navigate technological systems often find it difficult to access and use this specific type of information (45). In addition, there can be a large range in the amount and quality of online information provided on dementia (46). Specifically, people with dementia perceived online information to rarely be written by or aimed at those with dementia, and often portrays a pessimistic image of dementia (47). To overcome some of these barriers, the Cognisance Consortium set out to codesign and develop tailored informational tools that effectively support people with dementia and their informal caregivers in living well post-diagnosis. A mixed methods approach across five countries (Australia, Canada, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) was conducted. The informational resource was partly based on the findings reported in this thesis. Specifically, based on Chapter 4, information was specifically designed for people with
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