Third of people who notice signs of dementia in themselves keep fears hidden for more than a month

A third of people who notice signs of dementia in themselves or a loved one keep their fear to themselves for more than a month.

Only 15 percent immediately speak to someone else about the problem, despite the benefits of early diagnosis for managing the condition, which only makes them fearful of the future.

Alzheimer’s Society surveyed 1,137 adults up to age 85 who had been diagnosed with dementia, were carers for someone with dementia, or were concerned that they or someone they loved might have the condition.

The main reason people remained silent after noticing the first signs of dementia, or discovering it in a loved one, was that they confused the symptoms with simply getting older.

But 44 percent of people surveyed said they feared they or a loved one would be put down or treated like a child if they were diagnosed with dementia.

Kate Lee, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘We can’t keep avoiding the ‘D word’ – we have to face dementia head on.

“This Dementia Action Week, we want everyone to know that support is there if you’re confused about symptoms, or don’t know how to have that first awkward conversation.”

The charity found that 11 per cent of people who had discovered their first symptom of dementia, or the first symptom of someone close to them, had not discussed it with anyone else at the time they completed the survey.

This delay in addressing the problem has a domino effect on how quickly people can get help.

The study found that 23 percent of people waited more than six months after the first dementia symptom before speaking to a medical professional.

While 64 percent of people who kept quiet about dementia symptoms did so because they confused them with normal aging, a third said they didn’t want to worry a loved one.

Meanwhile, 16 percent were concerned about the impact on their relationships, according to the survey conducted by the firm Yonder Data Solutions for Alzheimer’s Society on the occasion of Dementia Action Week.

Alzheimer’s Society has launched a new campaign – titled ‘it’s not called getting old, it’s called getting sick’ – to encourage people who are concerned about their memory, or the memory of someone close to them, to seek help in getting a diagnosis, including by using the charity’s online symptoms checklist.

The charity found that 11% of people who had discovered their first dementia symptom had still not discussed it with anyone else at the time of taking the survey [File image]

The number of dementia diagnoses hit a five-year low during the pandemic and has since stagnated, leaving tens of thousands of people living with undiagnosed dementia.

In the UK, one person develops dementia every three minutes – meaning 1.6 million people will be living with the condition by 2040.

Kate Lee (SUBS – she is a Mrs) said: ‘At Alzheimer’s Society we are committed to providing help and hope to anyone affected by dementia – nine in ten people told us they would benefit from getting a diagnosis, helping them access the treatments, support and advice unlocks a diagnosis.’

The promising potential Alzheimer’s drugs lecanemab and donanemab, which slow memory loss and may in the future be widely available to people in the UK, rather than just in clinical trials, have been shown to work better in people who are diagnosed earlier posed.

Dr. Amir Khan, television doctor for ITV’s Lorraine, said: ‘A third of us will develop dementia in our lifetime.

‘We need to change the idea that dementia is inevitable as we get older – it’s not called getting old, it’s called getting sick.

Reaching out to ask for help can be a scary prospect, but it’s better to know. “Patients I’ve seen receive a timely, accurate diagnosis have had the opportunity to benefit from treatments and support from organizations like the Alzheimer’s Society that they otherwise would have missed.”