New Survey-Public Views on Alzheimer’s

WebMD and the Shriver Report did a survey on people’s knowledge, actions and attitudes about Alzheimer’s Disease which revealed “[p]eople recognize the seriousness of Alzheimer’s disease, but they aren’t taking steps to learn about their personal chances of getting the disease or to prepare for it financially….”  Survey Reveals Beliefs, Behaviors on Alzheimer’s was published on February 25, 2016 and reveals some startling information, such as a large percentage of those surveyed indicated they aren’t prepared, financially or otherwise, to deal with the disease.  The survey results note that there is “a disconnect in how much respondents really want to know about their risk of getting the disease — it’s the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and has no cure. Two-thirds of people say they’d want to know their risk for developing Alzheimer’s later in life. But when presented with a list of ways to do that, a much smaller percentage say they have taken or would take steps to do it.”  The survey also inquired about caregiving, attitudes about a likely cure for Alzheimer’s and whether the respondents knew someone with Alzheimer’s; 78% responded they knew someone with the disease. An infographic with key findings is available here.  An earlier issue of the Shriver Report on the topic is available here.

WebMD’s special report on Alzheimer’s is available here.

A companion survey of doctors was done by Medscape.