The fear of talking about dementia when noticing the first signs leads many patients to delay diagnosis and treatment. A survey by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom revealed that 33% of people who noticed symptoms in themselves or in their family and friends preferred not to address the subject for at least a month for fear of bringing the subject up.
According to 23% of respondents, fear of the diagnosis led to a delay of more than six months in seeking medical attention. On the other hand, the survey showed that only 15% were able to publicly talk about it with their loved ones soon after seeing the first signs.
More on the subject
-
Health
Bad memory or dementia? How to differentiate common symptoms of the disease
-
Health
Using the internet by age 50 cuts risk of dementia in half, study finds
-
Health
Loss of muscle power in the elderly may be dementia, study finds
-
Health
Dementia: 5 warning signs that should never be ignored
The survey was conducted with 1,100 people aged over 85, as aging is one of the risk factors for developing dementia. Among survey participants, 64% claim to have confused the signs with natural aging.
“We can’t avoid the ‘d-word.’ We have to face dementia head on, as nine out of ten people who seek treatment end up seeing benefits in their quality of life once they get a definitive diagnosis,” said Alzheimer’s Society Director Kate Lee in press release.
According to the interviewees, the fear of the diagnosis is caused by the fear of being treated like children.
To combat the fear of people talking about dementia, the Alzheimer’s Society launched a video campaign which makes the public aware of the importance of medical care for people’s quality of life.
The main signs of dementia to look out for are:
window._taboola = window._taboola || (); _taboola.push({ mode: “thumbnails-c-3×1”, container: “taboola-mid-article”, placement: “Mid Article”, target_type: “mix” });
- Memory loss;
- Problems using language;
- Personality changes;
- Disorientation;
- Problems doing usual daily tasks;
- Disturbing or inappropriate behavior.
“Dementia kills, overwhelms our health systems and affects society on a large scale. It is urgent that we seek ways to address it as a global challenge,” said Director of Research at the Alzheimer’s Society, Fiona Carrangher.
Get news from metropolises on your Telegram and stay on top of everything! Just access the channel: https://t.me/metropolesurgente.
The post One in 3 people who perceive dementia keep suspicion a secret first appeared on Metropolis.
