Professor (Emerita) Perla Werner received her Ph.D. (with distinction) from the Department of Sociology at the University of Maryland. She has been involved in gerontological research since 1978 and has contributed to the expansion of knowledge in the area of psycho-social aspects of Alzheimer's disease and other dementing disorders. Prof. Werner has published over 300 papers in peer-review journals and has received numerous grants from prestigious sources such as the National Institute of Aging, the Israeli Science Foundation, Alzheimer's Association and German-Israeli Science Foundation.
Prof. Werner served as the Head of the Department of Gerontology, as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, and as the Vice Rector of the University of Haifa.
Is dementia worry always bad?
Dementia is a general term for symptoms of a progressive decline in cognitive functions such as memory, thinking, or decision-making that interfere with the performance of daily activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. The exponential increase in the number of people living with dementia worldwide, without having found an effective cure, has caused a sense of threat or concern among the general population to developing Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Called "dementia worry", this phenomenon is attracting increased attention, especially in regards to its negative consequences. The goal of this presentation is to examine dementia worry, its correlates and consequences.
We conducted an internet survey with a sample of 221 Jewish Israeli adults (53% female; mean age = 47; range 26 - 84). Dementia worry (assessed with the 12-item Modified Dementia Worry Scale) was moderate. Statistically significant and positive associations were found with stigma (r = .22, p < .01), and general anxiety (r = .48, p < .001), but also with preparedness for future care (r = .31, p < .001). Results will be discussed together with strategies for reducing the negative and increasing the positive consequences of dementia worry.
