Abstract
BackgroundSocial engagement protects against dementia onset. Less is known about patterns of social engagement around the time of dementia diagnosis. We investigated face-to-face and telephone contact at three times (pre-diagnosis, at report of diagnosis, 2 years post-diagnosis) in individuals who developed dementia and a comparison group.MethodsSocial engagement was assessed at waves 2–7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 4171 individuals aged 50 and older. Dementia was ascertained by either self-reported physician diagnosis or through an informant evaluation of a participant’s functional and cognitive performance compared with a few years earlier. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine differences by group, time, and group-by-time interactions.ResultsThe dementia group reported less face-to-face (p < 0.001) and telephone contact (p < 0.001) than the dementia-free group pre-diagnosis. The dementia group experienced greater reductions in social engagement leading up to dementia diagnosis and in the 2 years following diagnosis (p’s < 0.001).ConclusionGiven that social engagement reduces dementia risk and supports the lived experience of people with dementia, it is important to find ways of promoting social interaction in older adults.
Highlights
IntroductionLoneliness and isolation are identified predictors of cognitive decline and dementia onset, while social engagement appears to protect against dementia onset [1]
Social connections are strongly linked with dementia
Social engagement was assessed at waves 2–7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 4171 individuals aged 50 and older
Summary
Loneliness and isolation are identified predictors of cognitive decline and dementia onset, while social engagement appears to protect against dementia onset [1]. These social factors appear to act protectively through increasing cognitive reserve and mental resilience and reducing psychological stress thereby reducing important vascular risk factors for dementia [1]. What remains less well understood is the profile of social engagement amongst individuals diagnosed with dementia. How do profiles of social interaction vary in the years preceding dementia diagnosis and the years immediately after?. Less is known about patterns of social engagement around the time of dementia diagnosis. We investigated face-to-face and telephone contact at three times (pre-diagnosis, at report of diagnosis, 2 years post-diagnosis) in individuals who developed dementia and a comparison group
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