Table 3 Belgium

Area (2021)

30,500 km² [19]

Spread of dementia-specific outpatient care services for people with dementia

Nationwide (in every municipality)

Spread of dementia-specific inpatient care services for people with dementia

In several regions

Expert notes regarding inpatient care

There are differences in terms of region and type of service. Concerning state and private nursing homes, the offer is very large, while the availability of other types of inpatient care, such as day-care facilities, is significantly lower. This is related to the low level of state support in this area and the focus of care policy on nursing homes.

Expert conclusion regarding dementia-specific care structures

In Belgium, there is a lack of a minimum standard for the care of people with dementia. Whether dementia-sensitive care is offered to people with dementia depends on individual organisations. Some organisations try to provide person-centred care and offer dementia-specific services, while some organisations do not. GPs and diagnostic centres are often dementia-sensitive, but this is not the norm in general hospitals. Among care providers and professional caregivers, there are often large knowledge gaps in terms of dealing with people with dementia. Another problem is access to information, which is a major challenge for people with dementia and their relatives due to the distribution of services among different organisations and websites.

Existing models of good practise

Projects of individual organisations such as dementia-friendly hospitals or nursing homes