Majority of Older Adults With Probable Dementia Are Likely Unaware They Have It, Study Suggests

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine suggests most older adults with probable dementia in the United States have never been professionally diagnosed or are not aware they have it, reports ScienceDaily . Using data from an ongoing study of Medicare recipients 65 and older across the U.S., the researchers found 585 subjects who met criteria for probable dementia in 2011 and had three years of continuous fee-for-service Medicare claims prior to 2011. Among such adults, 58.7 percent were either undiagnosed or unaware of their diagnosis. Persons with a high school education at minimum had a 46 percent reduced chance of being undiagnosed versus those who had less education, while those who attended medical visits alone were two times as likely to be undiagnosed than those who were accompanied. Moreover, participants who were diagnosed but unaware of the diagnosis were less educated, attended visits alone more often, and had fewer functional impairments. Those with at least a high school education had a 58 percent lower chance of being unaware versus those who had less education. Individuals who went to medical visits alone were about twice as likely to be unaware than those who were accompanied.