Effects of a 6-Week Integrated Dementia Awareness and Prevention Program for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Older adults show a lack of knowledge about dementia, treatments, and management although they are fearful of developing dementia. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-week intervention on knowledge, attitude, fear, and prevention behaviors concerning dementia among older adults who resided in community. The study used a pretest-posttest design with nonequivalent control group. A total of 40 participants completed the study. The intervention group showed a significant decrease in the fear of dementia scores compared to the control group after the intervention( p < .05). However, no significant differences were found between the groups with respect to knowledge, attitude toward dementia, and healthy prevention behaviors. The intervention may be effective in decreasing older adults’ negative emotions concerning dementia, particularly, fear. The assessment of the fear toward dementia may help identify individual causes and triggers and provide tailored interventions.