Challenges in public perception: Highlights from the United Kingdom-Brazil dementia workshop

In July 2019, Belo Horizonte hosted an international workshop for 27 junior researchers, whose participants were from Brazil and the United Kingdom. This 3-day meeting organized by the Federal University of Minas Gerais and the University of East Anglia addressed challenges in cognitive impairment and dementia, with particular interest in public perceptions, diagnosis and care management. The purpose of this report is to highlight the outcomes of the above-mentioned workshop regarding the topic of public perceptions (part I). Discussions focused on differences and similarities between countries, as well as identifying main issues to that required collaborative and creative solutions for them. After these group discussions, four core themes emerged: I) Cognitive impairment; II) Dementia – Beyond Alzheimer’s Disease; III) Prevention; and IV) Stigma. National and international initiatives to deal with public misperceptions about cognitive impairment and dementia are discussed.