Cognitive Screening in Older Adults: How they Perceive the Benefits, What they Fear Most

Among people with a family history of dementia, less than half (47%) report having ever been screened for the condition; less than one-quarter (22%) of this group report having been screened for dementia in the past year. The findings, from the most recent University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA), are reason for concern, given that more than 6 million Americans have Alzheimer disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the NPHA.

The slides that follow highlight results of the poll taken in March 2023 of a national sample of US adults aged 65 to 80 years about their awareness of cognitive screening, including what they fear most about a positive result.