ABSTRACT

Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning which includes thinking, remembering and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s day to day activities which affect their personality. It is caused by damage to or loss of nerve cells and their connections in the brain. The aim of the study is to analyse the level of knowledge of dementia, care of dementia and attitudes towards people living with dementia among undergraduate nurses in the University of Benin, Edo State. A descriptive survey was employed in this study and convenience sampling technique was used with to 211 sample size. Data was collected using a well-structured questionnaire which had a reliability of 0.882. Data collected was analysed   using descriptive (means and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA). Findings revealed that majority 73.71.7%) of the undergraduate nurses had a good knowledge of Dementia. Findings further revealed that 71.7% had positive attitude towards people living with Dementia. Higher level undergraduate nurses had higher knowledge of Dementia   but there was no significant difference in the attitudes of the undergraduate nurses based on academic level. The  need to make a planning strategy and awareness  organized by nurses in order to improve  the knowledge of Dementia among undergraduate nurses was recommended.