Prevalence and Risk of Dementia Among Adults Who Have Experienced Homelessness, a Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Dementia prevalence and risk in homeless adults are critical for resource allocation in dementia prevention and healthy aging initiatives.
• Understanding these factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions and support systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the prevalence of dementia among homeless adults.
• To determine the risk of dementia in homeless versus housed individuals.
• To assess the risk of homelessness in adults diagnosed with dementia.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of multiple databases and gray literature was conducted up to September 26, 2024.
• Included studies focused on dementia prevalence in homeless adults (aged 18+).
• Random effects meta-analysis and generalized linear mixed models were employed to synthesize data.

Main Results:

• Thirty-six studies involving 504,766 individuals were analyzed.
• The prevalence of dementia in homeless adults was 6.81% (CI: 4.49-10.19%).
• The risk ratio for dementia in homeless compared to housed individuals was 1.03 (CI: 0.52-2.03), and the incidence hazard ratio was 1.54 (CI: 0.52-4.50).

Conclusions:

• Homeless individuals exhibit a higher dementia prevalence (6.81%) compared to housed adults (under 3%).
• Younger age was associated with homelessness among adults with dementia.
• Further research into care models for reducing homelessness in dementia patients is essential.