From USA Today:

A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association reveals that many patients in the early stages of the disease say they are prematurely treated as if they are debilitated, even by close friends and relatives.

It is estimated that about 2.6 million Americans are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia that slowly destroys memory and independent functioning skills.

Among the top concerns listed by early Alzheimer’s patients:

Frustration with how the stigma and misconceptions affect their relationships.

Dissatisfaction with the medical community, including difficulties in getting the right diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.

A lack of knowledge about the availability of support services.

The prospect of relying more on friends and family to meet daily needs as memory fails.

The desire to stay involved.

Experts say the report is a clear message that people with early stage Alzheimer’s want to be treated with respect and dignity.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under alzheimer's, independent living, NOT2BEMISSED, public attitudes, stigma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.