Dementia-Friendly Communities: Exploring Terms used to Describe Dementia, Attitudes and Reactions Towards People with Dementia in Ilembe District, South Africa.

The identified dementia terms did not promote dementia-friendly societies. Appropriate dementia terms are crucial for changing social intolerance and negative perceptions of people with dementia and promoting a dementia-friendly culture in South African communities. Terms that encourage and perpetuate stigma against people with dementia must be replaced with terms that promote inclusion and tolerance.