Maud Hevink

| 79 4 while informal caregivers prioritize support that helps people with dementia to maintain cognitive functions, their ability to perform activities of daily living and delay disease progression (17). It is important to tailor support to wishes and needs of people with dementia and informal caregivers. People with dementia and informal caregivers experience barriers when accessing early support straight after diagnosis (15) such as low health literacy, unfamiliarity with available support options or not knowing how to access them (18-21). However, even when informal caregivers are familiar with available support, they are not always open to receiving it in the initial stage, because they feel support is not necessary yet, have difficulty describing their needs, or asking for help (9, 22). Despite the body of research, it remains unclear how support helps people with dementia and informal caregivers live well with dementia, and what differentiates those satisfied with support from those less satisfied with support. Knowledge of experiences of early support and its effects on people with dementia and informal caregivers that considers possible differences between their respective experiences of support is needed. This could assist in identifying ways to further improve experiences of support and ultimately reduce unmet needs. The aims of the present study are to a) provide a description of people with dementia and informal caregivers’ experience of support in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK; b) compare these experiences of support among people with dementia and informal caregivers; c) determine what factors distinguish those people with dementia and informal caregivers who are satisfied with support from those who are not satisfied with support. Materials and methods This cross-sectional survey study among people with dementia and informal caregivers examines their experiences with support. The study is part of the international Co-Designing Dementia Diagnosis and Post-Diagnostic Support project, which focuses on improving support for people with dementia and informal caregivers. Participants Participants were recruited in Australia, Canada (Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick), the Netherlands, Poland, and the UK. Each country aimed to

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