Factors Influencing Dementia Diagnosis Awareness Among Diverse Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Roche-Dean Maria, Baik Sol, Webster Noah, Moon Heehyul, Zahodne Laura
Primary Institution: University of Kansas
Hypothesis
Social factors are associated with awareness of dementia diagnosis among older adults with probable dementia.
Conclusion
Marital support may be important for timely diagnosis for Black individuals with dementia, but social network size and number of helpers were not associated with dementia diagnosis awareness.
Supporting Evidence
- Black and Hispanic adults have a greater risk for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
- Untimely dementia diagnoses delay symptom management and access to health services.
- Younger individuals and women had greater odds of dementia diagnosis awareness.
Takeaway
This study looked at how social factors affect whether older adults know they have dementia, finding that being married helps Black individuals be more aware of their diagnosis.
Methodology
Logistic regression was performed to assess the influence of marital status, social network size, and number of helpers on the odds of reporting a dementia diagnosis.
Limitations
The lack of association between social network, number of helpers, and dementia awareness could reflect limitations on how probable dementia and dementia awareness were operationalized in this dataset.
Participant Demographics
Older adults aged 65 and older, with a focus on non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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