The study findings were discussed by a board comprising NNI’s mind of company and expert Chiew Hui Jin,  , Changi General Hospital top consultant and psychiatrist Vanessa Mok,  , Dementia Singapore’s CEO Jason Foo and , Milieu Insight’s head of research Nigel Lin.
Dr. Chiew argued that the refusal to test for dementia is a common problem, and that it’s mainly concerning when individuals are unaware of their symptoms despite their family members having noticed them.
This is because, in the pre-dementia levels, people ‘ information into their symptoms may already be weakened, making it harder to break through the neglect that they might have the problem, he said.
According to Dr. Chiew, 20 to 30 % of patients with mild cognitive impairment may develop dementia after three years, depending on how they manage their risk factors.
He claimed that young-onset dementia people tend to deteriorate more quickly than memory in older people.
Nearly 95 % of responders were aware that people who were under the age of 65 you have memory. However, respondents were less aware of the range of symptoms that dementia is display.
Most people were able to detect memory symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty carrying out well-known jobs, and difficulty using the correct words.
But less than half identified mood swings, social withdrawal or loneliness, stupid motor skills, problems seeing or locating materials, fidgeting, and drowsiness or problems as symptoms.
Respondents ranked employment ( 30 per cent ) as the area of life that would be most impacted by a diagnosis of young-onset dementia, followed by relationships ( 21 per cent ), financial stability ( 17 per cent ), personal care ( 16 per cent ), life management ( 13 per cent ) and hobbies and interests ( 2 per cent ).
Importantly, 59 % of respondents either disagreed or claimed to be unaware of the necessary lifestyle changes to lessen the risk of dementia.
Dr. Chiew from NNI stated that people can take actions on other risk factors, even though a family history of memory is a risk factor that cannot be changed.
These include cardio risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Life factors like smoking, using alcohol, physical inactivity and social isolation is also help.
Mr. Foo, a spokesperson for Dementia Singapore, claimed that younger people who have been diagnosed with dementia may struggle to accept or communicate their situation.
” Dementia is just a one-way way, it only gets worse. And so, he said,” There’s a better chance that the decay does not progress that quickly the sooner you accept the condition, the earlier you do something about it.”