Researchers from the University of Luxemburg launch a survey to assess the knowledge and attitudes about dementia among the general public in Luxembourg. Launched on World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September, the survey focuses on how people think about dementia and those living with dementia, what they know about the disease and their reactions when confronted with it. The University is looking for participants older than 18 living and/or working in Luxembourg. The survey can be completed by everyone, whether they have experience with dementia or not.
Anna Kornadt, professor in psychology of aging at the University of Luxembourg’s
Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, explains that the success of educational measures, interventions and public policies to support people living with dementia and their relatives, critically depends on people’s affective and cognitive responses to being confronted with the disease. To align and evaluate dementia-related practices, it is necessary to have a better understanding of what people know and think about dementia.
The survey seeks to understand how several aspects of dementia attitudes are linked together and how knowledge about dementia and early diagnosis can be positively conveyed without provoking excessive and counterproductive fear.
“The survey will provide us with a global view of the current situation in Luxembourg and give us valuable and unprecedented insights that might be informative for dementia-related national actions”, Kornadt says. She runs the survey together with her team and in cooperation with the RBS – Center fir Altersfroen as well as the Info-Zenter Demenz.
The survey is conducted via online and paper questionnaires. The online questionnaire is available at www.soscisurvey.de/dementia.