SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Dement.
Sec. Dementia Care
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Dementia Policies and ServicesView all 8 articles
Access to healthcare services and adherence to treatments for people with dementia among ethnic minority groups: A scoping review
Provisionally accepted
- London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
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Background Dementia is a leading cause of death among the older population and requires regular engagement with primary care services, monitoring, and specialist support. People with dementia from ethnic minority groups face barriers in accessing adequate healthcare. Factors such as different conceptualisations of dementia, personal beliefs, and cultural backgrounds can influence attitudes to treatments, further increasing health inequalities. This research maps the evidence on access and experiences within primary care services for people with dementia, along with treatment adherence patterns. Methods A scoping review was conducted in October 2025 on Medline, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, with two separate searches on access to care and adherence to treatments. Eligibility criteria were peer-reviewed journal articles, focusing on people with dementia, and including an analysis of differences among ethnic minority groups. Results Seventeen articles were included. People with dementia from ethnic minority groups report lower quality care received. They are less likely to be prescribed and receive anti-dementia medications, and they have lower adherence rates compared to their White counterparts when these medications are prescribed. Identified barriers to access and adherence to treatments include cultural factors, religious beliefs, viewing dementia as a part of ageing, stigma, limited language proficiency, inadequate facilities and services not tailored to the specific needs of minority ethnic groups. Conclusions This research highlights persistent inequalities among people with dementia from ethnic minority groups. More research is needed to address these issues and fully understand the factors influencing access to care services and attitudes towards medications among people with dementia.
Keywords: access to care, Dementia, Ethnic Minorities, Inequalities, treatments
Received: 29 Oct 2025; Accepted: 15 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Aguzzoli, Walbaum and Knapp. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Elisa Aguzzoli
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