[Forgetful or demented? Who worries and why?]

Many elderly people complain about their memory or are afraid to become demented. Research shows that in most cases this worry is unsubstantiated. Anxiety and uncertainty are primarily caused by a lack of proper information about the differences between normal forgetfulness and dementia. In order to be able to effectively inform the general public, more insight and a better understanding are needed about level of knowledge, needs and characteristics of the target group. For this reason, a survey was carried out among 500 elderly people who ordered an information brochure on memory and dementia. Approximately 32% of the respondents worry very much about their forgetfulness and 57% worry somewhat. Among other things, respondents ascribe their memory complaints to bad concentration (61%), stress and tension (45%) and the medication they use (30%). Almost 22% indicate that they worry a lot about possible dementia and 47% worry somewhat about dementia. The main predictors for respondents' concern about dementia are the extent to which people are hindered by their forgetfulness in daily life and the fact that someone in the near family has or has had dementia. Of all respondents who worry about their memory, 26% consulted their general practitioner to discuss their complaints. Important reasons for not seeking help despite being worried, are that many subjects do not want to bother their general practitioner (48%) and feel that they are not taken seriously by their social environment (27%).