Joined: 12/6/2011 Posts: 3326
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(Source: gnos.es.com) Imagine a close friend tells you she has dementia. Would you avoid her for fear of being embarrassed by what she might say or do? 40 per cent of people with dementia reported they had been avoided or treated differently after diagnosis. It's no surprise, then, that one in four respondents cited stigma as a reason to conceal their diagnosis.
Stereotypes and misinformation are what prevent people with dementia
from getting the help they need and stop others from taking the disease seriously. Dementia is more than having the occasional 'senior moment' or losing your keys. The truth is it's a progressive degenerative brain disorder that affects each person differently. It's fatal and there is no cure.
"Dementia really challenges the values we hold as a society and what it means to be human," says Mary Schulz, Director of Education at the Alzheimer Society of Canada. "We need to stop avoiding this disease and rethink how we interact with people with dementia. Only byu nderstanding the disease and talking more openly about it, can we face our own fears and support individuals and families living with dementia."
Go to full story: http://news.gnom.es
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