Medical News Today tells us that many older Americans may be at increased risk of engaging in potentially unsafe activities due to lack of dementia diagnosis. This is the conclusion of a new study by researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.
Older adults with undiagnosed dementia are more likely to engage in potentially unsafe activities – such as driving – than those who have received a formal diagnosis.
The study found that older adults who had symptoms of dementia but who had not been formally diagnosed were almost twice as likely to drive, cook, manage medication, or undertake other activities that might put them in harm’s way, compared with adults who had received a dementia diagnosis.
Lead author Dr. Halima Amjad, of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins, and colleagues recently published their findings in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Dementia is a term used to describe a number of diseases characterized by a decline in memory and thinking skills. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for around 60-80 percent of all cases.
Symptoms of dementia may vary from person to person, though problems with short-term memory – such as remembering to pay bills, keeping track of a wallet or keys, or remembering appointments – reduced concentration, and poor reasoning and judgment are common signs.
At present, there is no single test to diagnose dementia; Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are diagnosed based on the individual’s medical history, a physical examination, and changes in memory and everyday functioning and behavior. Read their entire article.
