This year’s World Alzheimer Report has been published by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), entitled: ‘Global changes in attitudes to dementia’.
The report documents the results of ADI’s 2024 survey, analysed by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) who looked at the 40,000+ responses ADI received from people living with dementia, carers, health and care practitioners and the general public from over 166 countries and territories.
The 2024 survey was a follow-up to ADI’s 2019 ‘Attitudes to dementia’ survey. Key findings from the 2024 data include:
- 65% of health and care professionals incorrectly believe dementia is a normal part of ageing.
- 80% of the general public believe dementia is a normal part of ageing, a dramatic increase compared to 66% in 2019.
- 88% of people living with dementia indicate experiencing discrimination.
- Over a quarter of people globally incorrectly believe there is nothing we can do to prevent dementia, with that number increasing from 20% in 2019 to 37% in lower- and middle-income countries.
- More than 90% of carers and respondents from the general public said they would be encouraged to get a diagnosis if a disease-modifying treatment for dementia was available.
- Over 58% of the general public believe dementia is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.
Alzheimer’s Disease International say:
“The report highlights how different communities and individuals experience and address dementia stigma, from advocacy in low- and middle-income countries to innovative outreach programmes for youth and marginalised groups. The report underscores the urgent need to address the stigma and discrimination that exist around dementia globally and provides real-world examples of how this can be achieved.”
You can read the report here: https://www.alzint.org/u/World-Alzheimer-Report-2024.pdf