Dementia stigma 'makes life harder for sufferers'
10 October 2008
 Dementia patients are being shunned by neighbours and find the diagnosis of the condition overly protracted, according to new research. Carried out by mental health charity the Alzheimer's Society, the research shows that half of the 4,000 people surveyed felt stigma was a serious problem for people suffering from dementia, reports the BBC.The charity also carried out in-depth interviews with 62 people about dementia, including 32 who had a form of the disease and found dementia sufferers are often left with no support after diagnosis, the news provider states.Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, told the BBC: "Today's report exposes the desperate need to increase awareness among the public and professionals.""There must be investment in national awareness campaigns," he added.Meanwhile, author Terry Pratchett has called on the government to help raise awareness and reduce stigma.The creator of the Discworld series suffers from a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's. © 2008 Adfero Ltd. All rights reserved. Any views and opinions expressed in news articles are not those of Craegmoor Limited and its associated companies. News supplied by Adfero DirectNews.
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