Lay beliefs on the causes of dementia among the elderly

Purpose: The early recognition of dementia assumes increasing importance. L ay beliefs on the causes of loss of memory play a major part in this regard as they have shown to determine help-seeking behaviour. Method: 720 person s aged 75 or older were questioned on their beliefs on the causes of cognit ive deficits in the context of the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged ( LEILA 75+). Results: Almost one-third of the respondents mentioned exclusiv ely biological causes, vascular lesions coming first. One quarter of those questioned ascribed memory deficits to non-biological factors. Every tenth person suspected that they result from a combination of both. One quarter o f the elderly did not know any answer. Discussion: The results are contrast ed with outcomes of epidemiological dementia research, It is argued that in creasing and better quality information of the public are urgently required .