| Sumario: | Purpose Worldwide around 55 million people live with dementia and this number will increase to 139 million people in 2050 (WHO, 2021). Specifically in relation to the Brazilian scenario, in 2016, the country ranked second (behind Turkey) in relation to the age-standardized prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias per 100,000 people (GBD 2016 Dementia Collaborators, 2019). The increase in the number of cases of dementia leads to a greater need for care. People with a disability or older age depend on support of an informal caregiver. Informal caregivers can experience a higher level of depression and stress and the risk of developing physical health problems are greater compared to non-caregivers. When caring for someone with dementia, the care can be even more demanding because of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Research shows that informal caregivers perceive their situation as permanent and they experience a sense of being tied-in, the feeling to be always alert, unappreciated, feeling trapped, pulled in all directions, and sometimes being in an unreal situation. The care burden may result in a decrease in quality of life of the informal caregiver. In view of the above, countries have developed plans to meet the needs and demands of the elderly population with dementia and their caregivers. The initiatives depend mainly on the development of each country as well as on their public policies and strategies for coping with dementia. Method At this stage of the symposium, the aim is to present and discuss with the participants, through a conversation, the Brazilian initiatives in the prevention and care of dementia. Low-income countries still lack political, financial, and social incentives for diagnosis, support, and care plans for the population with dementia. Brazil is presented as a country of continental dimensions and with significant population aging, but which still have rates of underdiagnosis and undertreatment in the context of dementia. Only in 2020, a law project was introduced in the Senate that established the National Policy to Combat Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias, but care, risk reduction, prevention, and support actions for elderly people with dementia and their families have not yet been implemented. What is observed is the existence of specific and regional policies or actions (projects linked to universities) for the care of the person with dementia, which is still insufficient to carry out an adequate situational diagnosis of the country and to establish national priorities. Results and Discussion Detailed presentation of Brazilian initiatives and scenario followed by group discussions about them and presentation of points of view, and possible actions aimed at the older people with a focus on technologies will be discussed and will compose this stage of the symposium.
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