Forgetfulness or dementia? Who is worried and why?

C.J.A.M. Commissaris, J. Jolles, F.R.J. Verhey, R.W.H.M. Ponds, V.G.M. Damoiseaux, G. J. KOK

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Elderly people's worries about their memory are mainly caused by a lack of dear and structured information. We developed an information brochure about normal forgetfulness and dementia to inform the Dutch general public The characteristics of 500 elderly people who ordered this brochure are described here. Almost 70% were, to some extent, worried about incipient dementia. This worry was caused mainly by the problems people experienced from their forgetfulness in daily life and the occurrence of dementia in a dose relative. The results show the importance of paying more attention to health education activities and health care policy in this field. This might increase people's quality of life and also contribute to a considerable saving for the health care system.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)297-299
    Number of pages3
    JournalEuropean Journal of Public Health
    Volume6
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1996

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