Fight against stigma continues for residents affected by dementia
PRINCE GEORGE – January marks yet another Alzheimer’s Awareness Month campaign.
With it comes another year of working towards reducing the stigma associated with the disease, especially following a 2017 study conducted by the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Based on the results collected from the 1,500 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 65 who participated in the survey, some worrisome numbers were revealed:
- 61 per cent fear they’d face some form of discrimination if they or a family member were to suffer from the disease;
- Over 40 per cent would feel embarrassed if they were to be diagnosed with the disease;
- One in four felt they would feel some form of social isolation and avoided;
- Five per cent of people surveyed said that if they were to find out they had a diagnosis of dementia they would seek help.