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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Factors influencing decisions about donation of the brain for research purposes | | Author(s) | Margaret Stevens |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 27, no 5, September 1998 |
| Pages | pp 623-629 |
| Keywords | Death ; Attitude ; Nervous systems ; Medicine ; Research. |
| Annotation | 200 of the 640 people in Nottingham aged 67-100 who were assessed as part of the Medical Research Council multicentre Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS) were approached to consider brain donation for the neuropathology component of the study of dementia incidence. Most people completing a questionnaire had positive or neutral feelings about being approached, including: personal approach; awareness of need for research, and of suffering caused by dementia; and a desire to help others. Many had fears about not being really dead, about post mortem examinations, and feeling pain after death. Those most likely to donate preferred cremation. Two-thirds thought death was not talked about enough: 65% of those visited found talking helpful. Relatives had an important influence, usually dissuading the person from donating. Some families who agreed to a relative's decision to donate only did so after discussing it together well in advance of death would have been unlikely to have agreed, had they been approached for the first time only after death. This research demonstrates the value of talking more about death, and increases awareness of how autopsy furthers our knowledge of the causes of death. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-981119008 A |
| Classmark | CW: DP: BKN: Y7M: 3A |
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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