London - Dementia patients are missing out on treatment because most people wrongly think the symptoms are simply a normal side-effect of getting older.
More than 75 percent of people can’t distinguish between Alzheimer’s disease and examples of everyday age-related forgetfulness, a study has found.
Researchers said that misplacing keys, forgetting telephone numbers or forgetting the names of casual acquaintances are all examples of normal forgetfulness.
But getting lost in familiar places, regularly struggling to recall words, being no longer able to cook a meal, set the table, drive your car, use money correctly or dress yourself appropriately are all possible symptoms of dementia.
The team also found that three out of four people don’t realise that they can help prevent dementia through improving their physical health. Lead researcher Suzanne Cahill, from Trinity College Dublin, explained that a “common misconception is that individuals have no control over whether they develop dementia”.
She added: “Although some risk factors such as genes, age and sex are nonmodifiable, others – such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol – are modifiable.
“Risk factors like diabetes, stroke, and head injury may also be manageable or preventable. Governments could make significant savings if people were better educated about dementia.”
Daily Mail