A standards & accountability initiative

The care network is not broken.
It was never built.

dementiacare.network is building the infrastructure for connected, consent-centered dementia care — because a fragmented system is not a neutral one.

Fragmented. Opaque. The patient is surrounded but not centered.

Decisions are made across the network without the patient's knowledge. Providers communicate around the family. Financial and legal arrangements are put in place informally. No one owns the full picture.

The Current Reality

Care happens around the patient, not with them.

  • Facilities communicate with insurers without family knowledge
  • Financial decisions made through informal third-party channels
  • Legal proxy arrangements put in place without full patient participation
  • Diagnosis communicated to facility before family is told
  • No single party holds the complete picture
  • Patient requests for records denied without documented justification
The Standard We're Building Toward

Every connection in the care network is visible and consented to.

  • Patient is the acknowledged hub of all care decisions
  • All inter-party communications are documented and disclosed
  • Financial arrangements made with patient awareness or documented proxy
  • Legal designations traceable and available to family
  • Medical records accessible to patient and authorized family
  • Informed consent is a living process, not a one-time form

Six standards for accountable dementia care

These are not aspirational. They are the minimum conditions under which a patient with dementia retains dignity, agency, and legal standing.

01

Consent as Infrastructure

Informed consent is documented at every decision point — not once at admission. Capacity assessments are standardized and regularly updated.

02

Transparent Proxy

Any proxy designation — legal, financial, medical — is disclosed to all relevant care parties. Side arrangements with institutions are not permitted without documentation.

03

Records Access

A patient whose legal rights are intact cannot be denied access to their own medical records. Denial requires documented clinical justification.

04

Communication Disclosure

Inter-party communications about a patient — between facility, insurer, and financial institution — are logged and available to the patient's designated advocate.

05

Diagnosis Standards

Dementia diagnoses meet established clinical criteria. Standardized cognitive testing, differential diagnosis for reversible causes, and neurological assessment are required before diagnosis.

06

Family Integration

Families are not observers in the care network. Their role, information access, and decision-making authority are defined, documented, and honored.

Who This Is For

Everyone inside the care network has a role to play.

Memory Care Facilities

Adopt and signal adherence to accountability standards. Differentiate on transparency, not marketing.

Healthcare Providers

Diagnose with rigor. Communicate with families. Document consent as a clinical practice, not a formality.

Families & Advocates

Know what standards exist. Hold facilities to them. Use the tools we're building to identify gaps before admission.

Policy & Research

The CMS GUIDE Model is a beginning. This network builds the evidence base for what connected, accountable care actually looks like in practice.

The Founding Observation
"A man whose legal rights were never formally removed asked for a copy of his own medical records.
He was denied.
The system does not require a formal process to treat a patient as if they have no standing."
The founding case — Dementia Deserves Better, 2026

Build the network with us.

dementiacare.network is in early development. We are seeking facilities, providers, researchers, and advocates committed to building the infrastructure for accountable care.

Join the Network Read the Standards

The Dementia Deserves Better Ecosystem