The French fear Alzheimer’s disease more and more and caregivers are asking for help.
- 85% of French people are afraid of being affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
- 18% of caregivers say they regularly provide help to a person affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
- Carers are demanding an improvement in their situation.
According to a new survey by the Pierre Deniker Foundation, the French are very afraid of Alzheimer’s disease and caregivers are asking for help.
85% of French people are afraid of being affected by Alzheimer’s disease
“Disinterest on the part of the media, aborted government projects… The Alzheimer’s sphere seems to be left aside. This is why the Pierre Deniker foundation wanted to stimulate a new dynamic of research into the disease in France”, first explains the foundation. “More specifically, the Pierre Deniker Foundation wished to initiate reflection and research actions on the psychological effects and societal impact of neurodegenerative diseases, and recently conducted an investigation into Alzheimer’s disease. add the activists.
This new survey reveals first of all that 85% of French people are afraid of being affected by Alzheimer’s disease. “It is the most feared disease after cancer and myocardial infarction, and over the years we have observed a growing fear,” can we read in the report.
18% of caregivers say they care for someone affected by Alzheimer’s disease
Furthermore, the disease seems to be very present in the entourage of those questioned, since we note that 40% of the population knows at least one person who has or has had Alzheimer’s disease in their family circle (27% a person , 12% several), and 62% in a circle extended to friends and colleagues.
In the category of caregivers, 18% of them say claim to care for a person affected by Alzheimer’s disease (meal preparation, help with washing, support with administrative procedures, etc.). 40% of respondents chose placement in a specialized institution, 12% home help for the relative concerned, 4% home care and 4% participation in the financing of assistance for staying at home.
Alzheimer’s disease: greater doubt about the solutions to adopt
“No less than 41% say they have done none of this,” underline the authors of the study. “If the proportions seem similar to other surveys, we especially observe a greater doubt about the solutions to adopt: around 40% of respondents do not comment or declare that they do not know what they would do if one of their loved ones were affected by the disease”, they add.
Likewise, among people who have experienced it, we see that placement choices are largely imposed since only 34% of them would actually have wanted placement in an institution.
Finally, according to this survey, caregivers are demanding an improvement in their situation, asking the public authorities to take more interest in their condition and to apply concrete measures such as financial assistance and flexible working hours. . If financial assistance appears to be essential for caregivers of loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s (38% request it), the opening of day care centers is strongly supported (22%).
“Beyond our desire to share with the scientific community, we wanted to give with this survey a social dimension to Alzheimer’s disease in order to once again arouse interest in this pathology whose prevalence will continue to increase with the aging of the population and increasing life expectancy. Yes, Alzheimer’s disease is scary. Yes, it is a well-founded fear. Yes, caregivers are often lost about the future of their sick loved one. Yes, they expect concrete actions from the public authorities!” concludes Raphaël Gaillard, president of the Pierre Deniker foundation.
