Contextualizing Adolescent’s experiences of Dementia in England

Adolescents represent an under-researched group that mayalready have experiences of dementia. In this study, we aimedto capture adolescents’ level of contact (frequency) and qualityof contact (whether experiences were positive or negative) withpeople living with the condition. In this cross-sectional study,1,371 adolescents (aged 11–18 years old) across England wererecruited. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and regres-sions were employed to explore the association between socio-demographic factors and the frequency and quality of dementiacontact in adolescents. Over 64% of adolescents had comeacross people living with dementia, while over a quarter ofadolescents had looked after someone living with the condition.The level of contact and quality of contact differed significantlybetween ethnic and religious groups. Stakeholders should workclosely with different communities and schools, and take intoconsideration the nuances of cultural and region-specificresources in the community when seeking to raise dementiaawareness in adolescents.