Abstract

Background: Evidence shows that subjective memory complaints (SMCs) could represent an important therapeutic period for people at risk for sustaining future cognitive decline, but current knowledge on the behaviour profile of the SMCs is scarce. Thus, to better understand the SMCs' help-seeking behaviour from health care professionals, a cross-sectional study using a correlational and comparative model was implemented. A total of 56 community dwelling SMC older adults (age 42 to 90 years) from South-eastern New Brunswick, Canada, were recruited and studied. Methods: Help-seeking behaviours of individuals with SMCs were explored using memory, global cognition, physical and mental health measures to discern potential differences between those help-seeking and not for their current SMCs. Results: The large majority of participants (81.3%) indicated their intention to seek help from a general physician for future SMCs. Those who had more negative perceptions of their memory performance were less likely to seek future help and more likely to delay help seeking for future SMCs (15.4% vs. 12.5%). No significant group differences were found on all socio-demographic variables, cognitive, physical and mental health measures, but a significant group difference was observed at the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) subscales. Conclusion: Despite many expressed intentions to seek help from health care professionals for future SMCs, few seem actually to seek help when faced with SMCs. In light of the potential clinical value of SMCs, it is important to encourage health care professionals to consider the SMC of their patients. Clinicians should be mindful of the potential hesitancy of patients to reveal their memory problems and concerns.

Authors and Affiliations