From a medical point of view, it is particularly important to detect dementia as early as possible because this makes treatment easier. To find out that you have an incurable disease and your memories are increasingly fading, however, puts a lot of strain on those affected. A research group at Rutgers University in the USA has now discovered that patients with Alzheimer’s disease reduce their social activities based on the diagnosis.
The researchers working with Takashi Amano analyzed data from a representative long-term US study that followed married couples from the age of 51. People who were diagnosed with dementia in 2014 were compared with those without such a diagnosis. The researchers determined the social relationships between the two groups after two years.
Make sure that the quality of life is maintained despite Alzheimer’s disease
A statistical trick helped them to work out differences that could be attributed to the cognitive impairments. In doing so, they found out that the finding of the illness in itself made one more lonely. For example, those affected attended fewer sports events and did not make phone calls as often as the control group. Health experts recommend that these psychological consequences be taken into account when making the diagnosis and that patients are supported from the outset.
“Interpersonal relationships are an essential feature of our quality of life and can mitigate cognitive decline,” says co-author Addam Reynolds in the press release on the study. “Since there is no cure for these diseases, we need to focus on how people can maintain or improve their quality of life after diagnosis.”