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Elderly people with little or no awareness of potential scams were at greater risk of mild cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hope that a scam awareness test could help diagnose people with dementia in the future. ( pixabay )
Figures from the US Department of Justice show that $ 3 million is defrauded by millions of seniors a year. Part of this amount is stolen by phone scams.
Now, new research suggests a link between falling in love with the promises of dummy telemarketing and dementia. The researchers said the elderly easily scammed by scams could be at an early stage of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in the United States and affects nearly 6 million people. Symptoms of the disease include memory loss and communication and concentration difficulties.
No treatment is currently available for neurological disease.
Scam awareness and risk of Alzheimer's disease
In a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine On Monday, April 15, Patricia Boyle, of Rush University's Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Center, involved 935 seniors who had not been diagnosed with dementia.
The researchers asked participants to complete a questionnaire designed to test their knowledge of scams.
The questionnaire included questions that measured participants' openness to selling points, their attitude toward risky investments, and their knowledge of elder scams.
Each year, for six years, participants underwent neuropsychological tests to screen for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.
Cerebral autopsies were also performed on 264 participants who died during the study period. The post-mortem examination of the brain was performed to investigate the accumulation of entanglements of beta-amyloid and tau, both badociated with Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that among the group of seniors with no evidence of dementia, those with little or no knowledge of potential scams had a higher risk of mild cognitive decline. These people also had a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease compared to those who were more aware of the potential disadvantages.
In the case of the deceased participants, the researchers found a link between low scare awareness at the start of the study and the physical signs of Alzheimer's disease, particularly the presence of beta-amyloid plaque.
Scam awareness test to diagnose dementia
The researchers hope that a scam awareness test could help diagnose Alzheimer's disease in the future.
"Our study suggests that badessment of behaviors such as scam awareness is promising for early detection, but further work is needed to develop and validate appropriate measures for use in a clinical setting," said Boyle.
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