September 2016
A recent online survey conducted by Harris Poll found that nearly 60% of Americans are definitely willing or willing to consider taking part in a clinical trial for Alzheimer’s. This promising statistic is good news for researchers; however, obtaining qualified trial participants has been one of the greatest challenges in getting clinical trials off the ground.
To address this, the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation commissioned a survey to examine Americans’ perceptions about Alzheimer’s disease and to gauge their willingness to participate in clinical trials. The large disconnect between willingness to take part in a clinical trial and actual participation may be attributed to a lack of information provided to the public and a scarcity of easy-to-use tools to begin enrollment in the process.
One solution is for people to join the Brain Health Registry (BHR). BHR is a free, online platform designed to speed the path to cures for Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. BHR gathers data from volunteers who have registered and completed questionnaires and cognitive tests via its website, and aims to reduce the cost of patient recruitment for clinical trials by building a large online pool of potential, trial-ready candidates. Join today at www.brainhealthregistry.org.
The Harris Poll survey also asked questions not directly related to clinical trials. Additional findings include:
- 25% of Americans have/had a family member with the disease.
- 73% of Americans who do not have Alzheimer’s disease say that if they were to develop the disease, their biggest fear would be not knowing how their family would pay for their care.
- 28% of Americans believe that health insurance usually covers most of the cost of care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
- 23% of Americans most feared developing Alzheimer’s disease, more than the 18% who said they most feared having a heart attack and 7% who most feared getting shot. 27% most feared another major economic crisis, while 26% said they most feared being targeted in a terrorist attack.
These findings clearly convey that a lot of Americans are aware of and concerned about Alzheimer’s, but that there are also misconceptions. This suggests that even by making the public more aware about the disease, there will be a growing appetite to find a cure.
Tell your friends and family about Alzheimer’s, and encourage them to visit the Brain Health Registry today. Together, we can make Alzheimer’s a distant memory.