Pech Marion, Meillon Céline, Marquet Manon, Dartigues Jean-François, Amieva Hélène
INSERM Bordeaux Population Health Research Center UMR 1219 Université de Bordeaux Bordeaux France.
Psychology of Aging Unit University of Liège Liège Belgium.
Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2022 Aug 2;8(1):e12328. doi: 10.1002/trc2.12328. eCollection 2022.
In most countries, the societal view of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very negative. The initiatives that are part of the so-called "dementia-friendly approach" aim not only at promoting well-being and dignity of persons suffering from AD but also improving the way they are regarded and their inclusion in society. Unfortunately, scarce research has been conducted to assess whether such goals can be achieved. In France, the experimental Alzheimer Village in Dax is designed as a dementia-friendly community. Due to the recent opening (2020) and the strong local media coverage of this project, a survey has been designed to determine whether the representations of AD have been impacted by such a project.
The survey was conducted before and after the opening of the Alzheimer Village in the city of Dax (hosting the village) and surrounding areas, and in a control city with similar socio-demographics. The analyses intend to compare different dimensions of the representations and attitudes toward AD in the general population.
A total of 423 persons living in the Alzheimer Village city (37.4% were men) and 415 persons living in the control city (40.2% were men) were interviewed, resulting in 838 complete questionnaires. The main results report significantly lower rating in the perception of loss of identity ( = -0.57, = .014) and in the feeling of disgust for persons with AD ( = -0.61, = .008) in the city hosting the village after the opening of the Alzheimer Village. No significant changes were seen in the control city sample.
While societal representations of AD are very robust and difficult to change, this study suggests a modest but significant evolution of representations of AD in the surrounding areas of the Alzheimer Village.
The French Alzheimer Village is one of the very few ones in the world.This is the first study assessing the impact of an Alzheimer Village on disease representations.After the opening of the village, attitudes toward Alzheimer's disease have changed.
在大多数国家，社会对阿尔茨海默病（AD）的看法非常负面。所谓“痴呆友好型方法”的相关举措不仅旨在提升AD患者的幸福感和尊严，还致力于改善他们被看待的方式以及他们融入社会的程度。不幸的是，很少有研究评估这些目标是否能够实现。在法国，位于达克斯的实验性阿尔茨海默村被设计成一个痴呆友好型社区。由于该项目近期开放（2020年）且受到当地媒体的大力报道，因此设计了一项调查以确定这样一个项目是否对AD的认知产生了影响。
该调查在达克斯市（阿尔茨海默村所在城市）及周边地区的阿尔茨海默村开放前后进行，并在一个社会人口统计学特征相似的对照城市开展。分析旨在比较普通人群对AD的认知和态度的不同维度。
共采访了423名居住在阿尔茨海默村所在城市的人（37.4%为男性）和415名居住在对照城市的人（40.2%为男性），共获得838份完整问卷。主要结果显示，在阿尔茨海默村开放后，所在城市的居民在身份丧失认知（β = -0.57，p = 0.014）和对AD患者的厌恶感（β = -0.61，p = 0.008）方面的评分显著降低。对照城市样本未出现显著变化。
虽然社会对AD的认知非常顽固且难以改变，但本研究表明，阿尔茨海默村周边地区对AD的认知有适度但显著的演变。
法国阿尔茨海默村是世界上极少数此类村庄之一。这是第一项评估阿尔茨海默村对疾病认知影响的研究。村庄开放后，对阿尔茨海默病的态度发生了变化。
