Maslow's Hierarchy & Dementia Care Prioritizing Needs

19 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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1:11

In this brief presentation, the speaker draws a direct parallel between Maslow’s first tier—physiological needs—and the essential priorities in dementia care. They argue that without meeting basic physical requirements such as hunger, thirst, sleep, shelter, and elimination, higher‑order needs cannot be addressed for anyone, including individuals with dementia. Because dementia may cause fragmented or variable expressions of these needs, caregivers must focus on comfort, safety, toileting, and reliable routines. Satisfying these foundational needs sustains attention, mood, and engagement, and the speaker emphasizes that cognitive decline does not diminish the necessity of physical well‑being.

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The parallels to Maslow's Tier 1 are, in Maslow's hierarchy, physiological needs are foundational. Without meeting hunger, thirst, sleep, shelter, and elimination, higher-order needs cannot be prioritized. We need these first. For people with dementia, this does remain true. Though the expression of these needs for them may often be fragmented or variable. So the emphasis in dementia care on comfort, safety, and around toileting and reliable routines aligns with the essential role of physiological regulation in sustaining attention. Mood, and engagement in their day-to-day activities. Our duty is to ensure basic physical well-being and not diminished— that cannot be diminished by cognitive decline.