Behavior-analytic research on dementia in older adults.

Hattier et al. (2011) counted every behavior-analytic paper on dementia they could find.

They looked from 1986 up to 2010. The tally was still tiny.

The authors called for more ABA work with older adults who have dementia.

Almost no new studies appeared after earlier pleas for research.

The field stayed quiet while dementia cases kept rising.

The review shows a wide-open space for behavior analysts to step in.

Aggio et al. (2018) updated the count seven years later. They found only 16 cognition-language studies. The number grew, but not by much.

Lucock et al. (2019) narrowed the lens to adults who have both IDD and dementia. They located just six intervention papers. This extends the 2011 gap call to a new high-risk group.

Together the three reviews tell the same story: behavior analysts are still scarce in dementia care.

If you serve older adults, you can be the one who brings ABA to memory-care units. Start small: functional assessment of wandering or meal-time refusal. Publish what you do. The field needs your data.