How well is messaging about the importance of vaccination for people living with dementia being communicated? A jurisdictional scan of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups and dementia advocacy organizations

Vaccination is particularly important for people living with dementia (PLWD), who are at risk for meaningful declines in function and cognition after acute illnesses including vaccine‐preventable infections. Even so, vaccine uptake remains suboptimal. Optimal tailoring of messaging relies on awareness in advisory, decision‐making, and advocacy settings that PLWD are an important population for immunization. This policy forum paper discusses why vaccination is particularly important for PLWD and whether this is translated into public‐facing and policy audience messaging. Jurisdictional scans investigated three questions: the inclusion of geriatrics expertise in a sample of eight National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs; Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, United States, World Health Organization), whether PLWD are included in high‐risk groups particularly recommended to receive adult vaccinations, and whether dementia advocacy organizations from these same jurisdictions discuss and recommend vaccination. We conclude that there remain important opportunities for improvement in understanding and communicating the benefits of vaccination for PLWD, and present policy recommendations for NITAGs, dementia advocacy organizations, and clinicians.