{"id":6875,"date":"2019-03-11T05:39:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T05:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/braintest.com\/?p=6875"},"modified":"2019-12-06T20:52:44","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T20:52:44","slug":"testing-dementia-considered-smart-not-embarrassing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/braintest.com\/es\/testing-dementia-considered-smart-not-embarrassing\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing for Dementia Should be Considered Smart, Not Embarrassing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senior citizens face a large amount of social stigma<\/a> as a group and it may be preventing many of them from being screened for the early signs of dementia. Social stigma describes a false and often negative belief about a group of people that leads to discrimination against them. Minority races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations are common targets of stigma, but people of an advanced age also experience a considerable amount of discrimination.<\/p>\n

For example, there is little acceptance of sexual activity<\/a> among seniors because of the widespread opinion that it is \u201cgross\u201d. Obviously, this is a false and negative belief that has spawned a discriminatory attitude. There are many other examples that deserve to be examined, but we are going to focus on one of the most damaging stigmas toward people of an advanced age, which is the belief that dementia is an unavoidable side effect of growing older.<\/p>\n

Setting the Record Straight<\/h2>\n
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Image via Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

In reality, it is a scientifically recognized fact that Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other forms of dementia are not a normal part of aging. A moderate amount<\/a> of memory loss and a reduction in the efficiency of some mental processes can be expected as we reach advanced ages, but in no way is this comparable to the devastating effects of dementia.<\/p>\n

People experiencing normal aging will have trouble remembering someone\u2019s name or important dates from time to time, but those with dementia may forget where they live or who they are. Dementia can also include a wide range of symptoms that are not exclusively cognitive in nature, like movement disorders and speech impairments.<\/p>\n

How Misinformation Causes Harm<\/h2>\n

The false belief that dementia is part of normal aging has multiple negative effects, some of which impact a larger part of the population than seniors alone.<\/p>\n