Public education and policies are needed to address concerns about employment and insurance discrimination against persons with Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a recent study. A random sample of 317 US adults was analyzed to understand reactions toward a man with mild-stage AD dementia. Investigators found:

• In adjusted analyses, over half of respondents expected the person to be discriminated against by employers (55.3%) and be excluded from medical decision-making (55.3%).
• Almost half expected his health insurance would be limited based on data in the medical record (46.6%), a brain imaging result (45.6%), or genetic test result (44.7%).
• Understanding the prevalence of beliefs, attitudes, and expectations about AD dementia in the public could inform strategies to mitigate stigma.