Four out of ten Dutch people would otherwise consider life meaningless if they develop dementia. This is even 45 percent of people over 75. That says Alzheimer Nederland, which has had representative research carried out among more than 1100 Dutch people aged 45 and older. The degree of dementia at which the participants would no longer want to continue was not asked.
The image that the Dutch have of the disease is in any case very intense, according to Alzheimer Nederland. More than 53 percent are afraid of it. But in the meantime, the disease is underestimated.
One in five people develops dementia. Among the women, of whom even one in three has a chance, according to the organization, dementia is the number one cause of death, above other diseases such as heart failure and breast cancer. Still, half of the women estimate the risk of developing dementia themselves to be low and they are more afraid of breast cancer, for example.
Nowadays, this can be cured in many cases, but dementia is still fatal in the end. Alzheimer Nederland has now started a fundraising campaign to combat the disease. The Netherlands is still insufficiently aware of how urgent it is to invest in dementia research, the organization says. This research is really very necessary to turn the tide in the future, said a spokeswoman.
By: ANP | Photo: ANP
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