A new survey released by Newspoll has shown that more than half of Australians mistakenly attribute symptoms of dementia as being a normal part of ageing.

 

Delivering a speech at the National Press Club, President of Alzheimer’s Australia, Ita Buttrose, said the survey showed a disturbingly prevalent misunderstanding of dementia.

 

The survey found that nearly one in five Australians said that if a family member had memory loss or confusion they would think it was a natural part of ageing. Ms Muttrose said the results reflect a lack of awareness and stigma surrounding dementia that can lead to social exclusion.

 

“The findings of the study suggest that many people hold negative attitudes towards people with dementia. Of the 616 people who responded to the survey, over half indicated that people with dementia can not be expected to have a meaningful conversation,” Ms Buttrose said.

 

“Over a third said that people with dementia could be irritating and one in ten indicated that they would avoid spending time with a person with dementia.

 

“Instead of supporting people at a time of great difficulty and challenge, the instinct for many in our community is to turn their back and walk away.” Ms Buttrose said.

 

The release of the survey coincides with a study, Exploring dementia and stigma beliefs, a pilot study released by the University of Woolongong exploring the attitudes of Australian adults aged 40 to 65 years.