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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Pathways to diagnosis
— exploring the experiences of problem recognition and obtaining a dementia diagnosis among Anglo-Canadians | | Author(s) | Karen K Leung, Juli Finlay, James L Silvius |
| Journal title | Health and Social Care in the Community, vol 19, no 4, July 2011 |
| Pages | pp 372-381 |
| Source | http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/hscc |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Diagnosis ; Usage [services] ; Canada. |
| Annotation | Research suggests that that individuals with dementia may wait from 1-3 years from the onset of symptoms before receiving a diagnosis. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals with early-stage dementia and their carers regarding problem recognition and the process of obtaining a diagnosis. Six Anglo-Canadians with dementia and seven of their carers recruited from the Alzheimer's Society of Calgary participated in semi-structured interviews. Analysis revealed five major themes: becoming aware of memory problems; attributing meanings to symptoms; initiating help-seeking; acknowledging the severity of cognitive change; and finally obtaining a definitive diagnosis. Individuals with dementia reported noticing memory difficulties earlier than their carers. However, initial symptoms were perceived as ambiguous, and were normalised and attributed to concurrent health problems. The diagnostic process was typically characterised by multiple visits and interactions with health professionals, and a diagnosis was obtained as more severe cognitive deficits emerged. The findings provide insights into how individuals negotiate their perceived needs for medical help, and how dementia care may be improved in the early stages. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-111124001 A |
| Classmark | EA: LK7: QLD: 7S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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