Lack of understanding around dementia prevents diagnosis
A new survey shows that misinformation and a lack of understanding about dementia are two of the main reasons for misdiagnosis of the illness.
Recent figures show that the cost of dementia care in this country is just over €1.6bn euro per year and almost 42,000 people are currently living with the illness in Ireland.
It is hoped that the launch of animated videos developed by researchers at Trinity College Dublin will encourage people to be more proactive about their brain health, make important lifestyle changes and seek medical advice when necessary.
"There's a lot of misinformation around the whole issue," said Dr Sabina Brennnan from Trinity College
"People sometimes misconstrue the memory loss of Alzheimer's disease as normal for older people, and they don't bring family members in for assessment."
She encouraged people to treat early signs of memory loss as serious.
