Successful ageing in adversity: the LASER-AD longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• Traditional successful ageing models often exclude individuals with cognitive or physical impairments.
• This study investigates predictors of wellbeing in adversity among individuals with dementia.
• Quality of life in ageing populations with chronic conditions is a growing research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predictors of wellbeing in adversity among people with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
• To test hypotheses that mental and social factors, rather than physical health, predict wellbeing in adversity.
• To examine the stability of wellbeing in adversity over an 18-month period.

Main Methods:

• Interviewed 224 individuals with AD and their family carers.
• Re-interviewed 122 participants after 18 months to assess changes in wellbeing.
• Utilized perception of life as a whole as the primary outcome measure.

Main Results:

• Wellbeing in adversity scores remained stable over 18 months.
• Univariate analysis identified social relationships, subjective mental health, health perception, daily activities, and baseline wellbeing as correlates.
• Regression analysis revealed baseline wellbeing and mental health score as significant predictors.

Conclusions:

• Successful ageing is prevalent in individuals with dementia.
• Mental health and social relationships are key predictors of successful ageing in this cohort.
• These factors fully mediated the link between health perception and later wellbeing.