Getting tricked a sign of dementia

FALLING for a scam may be an early warning sign of dementia, according to a study.

Researchers found that low awareness of scams in older people is associated with risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment in the future.

The findings suggest changes in social judgment occur before changes in thinking or memory are recognisable.

Identifying predictors of dementia is vital, although it remains unclear which aspects of behaviour to target. Older people are often targeted by con-artists and are vulnerable to scams.

Researchers at Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre in Chicago asked 935 elderly people to complete a questionnaire when all were free from dementia to establish a ‘scam awareness’ score.

They were then regularly tested for signs of dementia over the following six years, with brain autopsies carried out on those who died during the period.

The findings, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, show low scores in the initial ‘scam awareness’ questionnaire were a ‘harbinger’ of going on to develop dementia.

A spokesman said: ‘Low scam awareness was also associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology. It is an early sign of impending dementia.’