Opinion: Phasing out the ‘D-word’
As I roamed the meeting rooms and halls of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia last week, I kept hearing a word — dementia — I’ve come to loathe as someone with early Alzheimer’s.
The use of this term goes back as far as the late 1500s, when it referred to insanity. It’s an inaccurate, outdated, and stigmatizing term that I and others living with cognitive impairment want to see retired permanently. Not only is it offensive, but it actively holds back early diagnosis, effective care, and faster research progress towards new, life-changing treatments.
