Development of a dementia literacy scale among community-dwelling older adults

With global ageing society, the prevalence of dementia continues to increase. Increased dementia literacy may promote the early diagnosis of dementia. This study aimed to develop a dementia literacy measurement scale for community-dwelling older adults and assess its psychometric properties. Three experts generated items on dementia literacy and dementia knowledge based on a literature review. Altogether, data from 102 older adults who completed the questionnaire were analyzed. The instruments were assessed through an exploratory factor analysis. The results showed that 20 items were loaded, indicating three factors for the questionnaire, which explained 45 % of the variance observed. The factors were coded as follows: respect for people with dementia, understanding of people with dementia, and information and help seeking. A higher dementia knowledge score correlated with enhanced dementia literacy. The developed dementia literacy scale is a validated and reliable tool for assessing the understanding of people with dementia among older adults.