Dementia Describes Many Symptoms Affecting Memory and Thinking
Health News: We all know that our social well-being is extremely important for our overall health. A new study has once again proved it. According to the study, social isolation can increase the risk of developing dementia. The study has been published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society. This clearly indicates that socialisation should be the top priority of older adults in order to prevent cognitive decline.
For the study, researchers followed over 5,000 adults who were more than 65 years old. They all were from the National Health and Aging Trends Study and the study was spread over a period of nine years – from 2011 to 2020.
One-fourth of the older adults in this group faced social isolation. In other words, one in every fourth people in this group had few social relationships and infrequent contact with others.
Dementia in 30% of population
Researchers found that social isolation was linked with an around 28 per cent higher risk of developing dementia. Also, 25.9 per cent of the people who were socially isolated had probably dementia, compared to 19.6 per cent of the non-isolated group.
Researchers also warned about the link between dementia and social isolation being underestimated. This is because the statics of the research seemed high despite the fact that older adults living in nursing homes and residential care facilities were not part of the study. It should be noted that dementia and social isolation are highly prevalent among those living in nursing homes and residential care facilities.
Risk factors related to dementia in older population
Scientists were also of the view that more studies are needed in order to determine the specific dementia-related implications of social isolation. This will also help understand its impact on different racial and ethnic groups as African American, American Indian, and Hispanic older adults are more prone to dementia.
