Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are increasing, leading to complex care needs.
• Over 90% of people living with dementia (PlwD) have at least one other chronic condition.
• Comprehensive care is essential for PlwD to address diverse needs and enhance quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize and explore the presence and distribution of co-occurring comorbid conditions in PlwD.
• To identify distinct comorbidity profiles within the PlwD population.
• To inform the development of person-centered dementia care strategies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of electronic health records from the All of Us Research Program (Oct 2015–June 2022).
• Comorbidities identified using International Classification of Diseases - Tenth Revision codes and categorized by the Charlson Comorbidity Index.
• Hierarchical clustering analysis was used to identify distinct comorbidity profiles.

Main Results:

• The study included 4,003 PlwD, with a mean age of 73; 47.5% female, 72.5% non-Hispanic White.
• Prevalent comorbidities included diabetes (67.82%), renal disease (40.24%), and chronic pulmonary disease (39.85%).
• Approximately 87% of PlwD had co-occurring conditions, with four distinct comorbidity profiles identified.

Conclusions:

• Comorbidities are highly prevalent in people living with dementia.
• Understanding comorbidity profiles is a critical step toward personalized dementia care.
• This research provides a foundation for developing tailored care approaches for PlwD.