Many People With Dementia Do Not Receive The Proper Health Screenings

Many older Americans deal with cognitive issues, but many are not properly screened for potential health issues. In fact, some could be suffering from dementia and not even now. Now, recent findings published in the journal Neurology found that the majority of people with a form of dementia never receive the proper screenings.

"These results suggest that approximately 1.8 million Americans over the age of 70 with dementia have never had an evaluation of their cognitive abilities," said study author Vikas Kotagal, MD, MS, of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, in a news release. "Yet early evaluation and identification of people with dementia may help them receive care earlier."

For the study, researchers examined 845 participants who were part of the Health and Retirement Study. All were 70 or older. Participants were assessed for signs of dementia, and their loved ones were questioned regarding whether or not the participant had sought out care for his or her memory issues.

Findings revealed that around 297 participants could actually have been diagnosed with dementia. Furthermore, of out of this group, only about 45 percent had gone to a doctor's office for their memory problems. Only about one percent of those who had normally memory and thinking skills even saw a doctor.

Numerous factors affected whether screening rates occurred, including marital status, number of offspring, socioeconomic status, and proximity of adult children's home to the participant's home.

He added, "Our results show that the number and proximity of children is no substitute for having a spouse as a caregiver when it comes to seeking medical care for memory problems for a loved one."