Abstract

Objectives:In the current study, the Anderson model is used to determine equita-ble access to dementia care in Europe. Predisposing, enabling, and need variableswere investigated to find out whether there is equitable access to dementia‐specificformal care services. Results can identify which specific factors should be a target toimprove access.Methods:A total of 451 People with middle‐stage dementia and their informalcarers from eight European countries were included. At baseline, there was no useof formal care yet, but people were expected to start using formal care within thenext year. Logistic regressions were carried out with one of four clusters of serviceuse as dependent variables (home social care, home personal care, day care, admis-sion). The independent variables (predisposing, enabling, and need variables) wereadded to the regression in blocks.Results:The most significant predictors for the different care clusters are diseaseseverity, a higher sum of (un)met needs, hours spent on informal care, living alone,age, region of residence, and gender.Conclusion:The Andersen model provided for this cohort the insight that (besidesneed factors) the predisposing variables region of residence, gender, and age do playa role in finding access to care. In addition, it showed us that the numbers of hoursspent on informal care, living alone, needs, and disease severity are also importantpredictors within the model's framework. Health care professionals should pay atten-tion to these predisposing factors to ensure that they do not become barriers forthose in need for care.