Association of Family Support With Lower Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia Among Cognitively Impaired Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Cognitive impairment affects many older adults, increasing the need to understand protective factors.
• Family support, specifically spousal presence and children's proximity, is increasingly recognized as vital for managing health in older populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between family support (spousal presence, children's residential proximity) and modifiable dementia risk factors in older adults with cognitive impairment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 14,600 individuals (35,165 observations) aged 50+ with cognitive impairment from the Health and Retirement Study (1995-2018).
• Family support was defined by spousal presence and children's residential proximity.
• Mixed-effects logistic regressions were used to assess associations between family support and modifiable risk factors (smoking, depressive symptoms, social isolation).

Main Results:

• A substantial portion of cognitively impaired older adults lacked family support (46.9% no spouse, 25.3% children >10 miles away).
• Less family support correlated with higher rates of smoking, depressive symptoms, and social isolation.
• A clear gradient showed increased risk factors with decreased family support, with those lacking a spouse and having distant children at highest risk.

Conclusions:

• Spousal presence and nearby children act as protective factors against modifiable dementia risk factors in cognitively impaired older adults.
• Strengthening family and social support systems may offer significant benefits for this vulnerable population.