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SearchA new survey from Cleveland Clinic and Parade shows many Americans are concerned about their brain health. However, they aren't always talking to their doctor about it.
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CLEVELAND - A new Cleveland Clinic and Parade survey found 85% of adults polled have thought about their risk for developing a brain disease, like Alzheimer’s or dementia.
“I think that most adults these days have thought about their brain health for a number of reasons. One of those is just that we hear more about brain health in the media,” said Jessica Caldwell, PhD, neuropsychologist for Cleveland Clinic.
Many of those same individuals are taking steps to help with prevention.
However, the survey revealed they’re not as proactive when it comes to addressing any actual memory or brain issues.
36% of adults under the age of 50 agree they’re too afraid to talk to a doctor.
“There are many treatable reasons why you might have an attention problem or a memory problem when you're young, and there's no reason not to go and have an evaluation with your doctor so that if it's something that's easily reversible then you can get it addressed,” said Dr. Caldwell.
Interestingly, the survey also shows there are some misconceptions about Alzheimer’s and dementia.
For example, 44% of adults age 18 to 34 agree that you are guaranteed to get Alzheimer’s if a relative has it too.
But that’s incorrect, Alzheimer’s is not always inherited.
In addition, men and women polled both assumed the other gender was more at risk for Alzheimer’s.
“The true case is that more women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease currently. And in order to get that awareness out, I think we need to talk about it,” said Dr. Caldwell. “These are important conversations that we need to have in many different ways.”
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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