Apathy: When Dementia Patients Don’t Care, We Do
The old joke goes, “An interviewer approached a man on the street and said, ‘The two greatest problems with society are ignorance and apathy. Do you agree?’ The man responded, ‘I don’t know and I don’t care!’”
There is nothing funny about apathy, but it affects about 90% of dementia patients sooner or later. Yet research often doesn’t seem to care. It is often overlooked because it is not as noticeable or disruptive as aggression and other behaviors, and is distinct from depression.
Apathy is a loss of interest and emotions. It can be distressing for families, and is linked with more severe dementia and worse clinical symptoms. Faster decline and care problems can result. Apathy is the most common symptom of dementia, with a bigger impact than memory loss.