A quarter of Dutch people prefer to keep dementia a secret, study shows

A quarter of Dutch people would prefer to keep it a secret if they were suffering from dementia. This is higher than the global average, which is 19 percent. This is the result of a survey by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI). The survey was conducted among 40,000 people in 166 countries as part of World Alzheimer's Day on Saturday and published by Alzheimer Nederland, part of ADI. Respondents included people with dementia, caregivers, doctors, and the public.

"There is still a lot to do. And urgently," says a spokeswoman for Alzheimer Nederland. "Given the enormous increase in the number of people with dementia, we need to prepare society as a whole. Almost everyone has to deal with it in their own environment. The number of care professionals is not growing, so we must work together to ensure that people with dementia can live comfortably at home for as long as possible and that intensive care can be postponed for as long as possible."

Research also shows that 80% of people worldwide think that dementia is a natural process and part of old age. However, dementia is not a natural part of life but a brain disorder caused by diseases such as Alzheimer's. The risk of dementia increases as you get older, as it does for many other diseases. There are also more than 15,000 people with dementia at a young age, according to Alzheimer Nederland.

The fact that a quarter of people in the Netherlands would keep it a secret if they developed dementia is "worrying," according to Alzheimer Nederland. "Unfortunately, there still seems to be a lot of shame for something you can't do anything about. This leads to isolation, which is not conducive to quality of life and, ultimately, the progression of the disease. Therefore, openness is important to break the taboo, the organization says.

Over 55 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia. This number is expected to triple to 152 million by 2050. In the Netherlands, 300,000 people suffer from dementia. According to Alzheimer Nederland, this number will double to over 600,000 by 2050.