Despite the benefits of early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, a third of people who notice signs of dementia in themselves or a loved one hide it from their loved ones and treating doctors, and only 15% prefer to talk about the problem right away. The British charity Alzheimer’s Society has found – the results of the surveys are published at: area organizations.
The survey included 1,137 adults under the age of 85 who were diagnosed with or caring for someone with dementia. As mentioned earlier, a third of those surveyed prefer to hide their dementia symptoms for at least a month. Also, 23% waited more than six months after the onset of the first symptoms of dementia before consulting a healthcare professional.
The most popular reason for this decision by patients (64%) was the fear that the dementia symptoms they noticed would translate into normal aging. More than 40% of those surveyed said they were worried that if they or their loved ones were diagnosed with dementia, they would be spoken to or treated like a child.
This delay in resolving the problem directly affects how quickly people can get timely help and slows down the development of the pathological condition.