The knowledge of memory aging questionnaire (KMAQ) in a Brazilian sample: a questionnaire for informants to recognize early signs of dementia.

Unlabelled: Till present, only a few countries have developed support programs for caregivers and families of patients with dementia aimed to improve knowledge, skills, and strategies to deal with the patient's symptoms. However, prior to offering this special support, it is important to identify beliefs and thoughts shared by informants related to cognition in elderly people. Questionnaires are instruments that allow having this information, such as the Knowledge of Memory Aging Questionnaire (KMAQ), which was designed to assess normal and pathological changes in the aging process.

Do you look for information about dementia? Knowledge of cognitive impairment in older people among their relatives.

Unlabelled: Relatives and caregivers receive little information and have poor knowledge about cognitive impairment and dementia.

Objective: This study aimed to identify beliefs about cognitive impairment and aging among people who are in contact with older people with and without cognitive impairment, hypothesizing that the fact of being a close relative influences or modifies these beliefs.

Methods: Seventy-eight participants were classified into two groups; group 1: relatives of patients with cognitive impairment or dementia from a behavioral neurology outpatient clinic (n=48); and group 2: relatives of patients without objective cognitive impairment from different services of a geriatric outpatient clinic (n=30).