Print
Email
January 04, 2011
The first wave of baby boomers turning 65 this year is not ready for Alzheimer’s disease. Findings from an online survey of baby boomers across Canada revealed a troubling lack of awareness about Alzheimer’s disease. The gap in awareness in B.C. is sounding alarm bells as to whether our largest population group is prepared for the rising tide of dementia that is ahead.
Survey findings indicate that:
- 24 percent of British Columbian baby boomers can’t name any of the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease, even though their risk doubles every five years after age 65.
- Less than half of those surveyed in B.C. were able to identify later-stage symptoms other than the most commonly known symptom, memory loss, indicating a general lack of awareness of the life-altering changes associated with dementia, such as hallucinations and complete dependency of on others for basic care.
- Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that most respondents were unfamiliar with controllable risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and chronic depression.
See our complete 2011 Awareness media kit for more information about the survey and findings.
