A
global study on attitudes toward dementia has shown that two-thirds of people
believe it to be a natural risk of getting older, which could be limiting the
help that people seek.
The vast majority of people believe that they will develop dementia and that they can do little about it, new research finds.
Every 3 seconds, someone develops dementia somewhere in
the world. In the United States alone, 5.8 million people
are living with Alzheimer's, and every 65 seconds, another person develops the
disease.
Alzheimer's
is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., beating breast and prostate cancer together,
and it is one of the world's fastest growing causes of death. According to
Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the number of people living with
dementia is likely to triple from the current 50 million to 152 million by
2050.
Despite
the prevalence of this neurodegenerative disorder, the world's largest survey
of attitudes toward it has shown that there is very little true understanding
across the globe, even among healthcare professionals.
The
study, which surveyed 70,000 people in 155 countries, found that 62% of
healthcare professionals also believe that dementia is a normal part of aging.
The
findings also revealed that only 16% of people are getting regular cognitive
assessments, even though early diagnosis can help.
The effect of stigma
The
study, which ADI led, concluded that stigma could be restricting people from
getting advice, medical assistance, and support that could help them live well
with dementia for as long as possible.
Not
only that, but stigma could be limiting their goals and lifestyles. The study
also found that 35% of carers hide the diagnosis of dementia in family members
from others.
"Lack
of knowledge about dementia leads to inaccurate assumptions about its effects
on the person and their family and negative stereotypes about how a person with
dementia will behave," Annie Bliss of ADI told Medical News Today.
"What
the report confirmed for us was that stigma and negative attitudes around
dementia exist in every setting, although this may present itself in many
different ways."
The researchers found that almost 48% of the survey
respondents believe that the memory of someone with dementia will never
improve, even with medical help, while a quarter of respondents feel that there
is no way to prevent this disease from developing.
Regarding
treatment, 40% of people believe that healthcare practitioners ignore those
with dementia, while up to 55.8% of health practitioners agree that their
colleagues overlook those living with the disease.
The
size of this study — utilizing ADI's network of 100 associations and
federations across the globe and including surveys in 32 different languages —
and its focus on behavior and attitudes set it apart from other research on
this condition.
The
London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdon provided
the analysis.
"We
complemented this data with expert essays and case studies, which help
contextualize the data by presenting diverse experiences, including from
marginalized or lesser-heard-from communities, indigenous groups, and working
groups of people living with dementia and carers," said Bliss.
ADI
express the hope that this study will raise awareness and spark conversations
around symptoms and managing risk. They note the need for increased support to
keep those living with dementia and their loved ones informed, empowered, and
reassured.
"A
drug based breakthrough would also help tackle some of the stigma, in a similar
way to what has been experienced in cancer and [HIV]," said Bliss. "A
pharmacological breakthrough can add hope [....]."
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