This study investigated whether the association between modifiable dementia risk and rate of cognitive decline differs across socioeconomic status (SES) strata.

Data were used from Maastricht Aging Study, a prospective cohort study with a 12-year follow-up. The baseline sample consisted of 1023 adults over 40 years old.

The “LIfestyle for BRAin health” (LIBRA) index was used to assess modifiable dementia risk. Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 years, and measured in the domains of information processing speed, executive functioning and verbal memory function. An SES score was calculated from equivalent income and educational level (tertiles). Linear mixed models were used to study the association between LIBRA, SES and their interaction on the rate of cognitive decline.

Participants in the lowest SES tertile displayed more decline in information processing speed (vs. middle SES: X2 = 7.08, P = 0.029; vs. high SES: X2 = 9.49, P = 0.009) and verbal memory (vs. middle SES: X2 = 9.28, P < 0.001; vs. high SES: X2 = 16.68, P < 0.001) over 6 years compared to their middle- and high-SES counterparts. Higher (unhealthier) LIBRA scores were associated with more decline in information processing speed (X2 = 12.66, P = 0.002) over 12 years and verbal memory (X2 = 4.63, P = 0.032) over 6 years. No consistent effect modification by SES on the association between LIBRA and cognition was found.

Results suggest that lifestyle is an important determinant of cognitive decline across SES groups. Yet, people with low SES had a more unfavorable modifiable risk score suggesting more potential for lifestyle-based interventions.

Purposeful adults may experience greater cognitive resilience because sense of purpose may help buffer against the effects of depressive symptoms and loneliness. We also evaluated whether these associations differed by race.

This study uses a wave of self-report data from the SPAN study of psychosocial aging.

Participants come from a representative sample of older adults in St. Louis.

Participants (N = 595) ages range from 65 to 78 (Mage = 71.46), with 18.3% of participants identifying as Black/African-American.

Sense of purpose was assessed with the Life Engagement Test, depressive symptoms with the Beck Depression Inventory-II, loneliness with the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and subjective cognitive decline with the AD-8.

Correlational analyses supported predictions that sense of purpose was negatively related to subjective cognitive decline, whereas depressive symptoms and loneliness were positively related (|r|s > .30, ps < .001). For loneliness, but not depression, this association was moderated by sense of purpose (b = −0.43, p < .001). A relatively high sense of purpose attenuated associations between loneliness and subjective cognitive decline. A three-way race × purpose × loneliness interaction (b = −0.25, p = .021) revealed that the buffering effects of sense of purpose on subjective cognitive decline were stronger for Black adults.

This study provided partial support for the buffering hypothesis, showing that sense of purpose may help mitigate the cognitive decrements associated with loneliness. Future research needs to consider how purpose-promoting programs may support healthy cognitive aging, particularly among Black older adults and those who experience greater social isolation.

Gender is an important social determinant of health, but gender has played only a marginal role in the geriatric and gerontology research and practice. The aim of this study was to examine the relevance of gender to the psychological well-being of older adults.

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

The study was carried out in Spain.

A total of 1,201 people aged between 65 and 94.

The participants completed sociodemographic data and four questionnaires: The Bem sex role inventory, the Ryff’s psychological well-being scale, the York self-esteem inventory, and the Social support scale.

Men scored higher than women in self-acceptance, autonomy, purpose in life, and environmental mastery. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that, although the most important predictors of psychological well-being in both women and men were self-esteem and social support, both masculine/instrumental and feminine/expressive traits were associated with higher psychological well-being, although the effect size was higher for the masculine/instrumental trait. Furthermore, education was associated with psychological well-being in the case of females.

Gender plays an important role in the psychological well-being of older adults. The results of this research are relevant for healthcare providers and policy-makers interested in promoting successful aging and increasing the well-being of older people.

Aging is associated with numerous stressors that negatively impact older adults’ well-being. Resilience improves ability to cope with stressors and can be enhanced in older adults. Senior housing communities are promising settings to deliver positive psychiatry interventions due to rising resident populations and potential impact of delivering interventions directly in the community. However, few intervention studies have been conducted in these communities. We present a pragmatic stepped-wedge trial of a novel psychological group intervention intended to improve resilience among older adults in senior housing communities.

A pragmatic modified stepped-wedge trial design.

Five senior housing communities in three states in the US.

Eighty-nine adults over age 60 years residing in independent living sector of senior housing communities.

Raise Your Resilience, a manualized 1-month group intervention that incorporated savoring, gratitude, and engagement in value-based activities, administered by unlicensed residential staff trained by researchers. There was a 1-month control period and a 3-month post-intervention follow-up.

Validated self-report measures of resilience, perceived stress, well-being, and wisdom collected at months 0 (baseline), 1 (pre-intervention), 2 (post-intervention), and 5 (follow-up).

Treatment adherence and satisfaction were high. Compared to the control period, perceived stress and wisdom improved from pre-intervention to post-intervention, while resilience improved from pre-intervention to follow-up. Effect sizes were small in this sample, which had relatively high baseline resilience. Physical and mental well-being did not improve significantly, and no significant moderators of change in resilience were identified.

This study demonstrates feasibility of conducting pragmatic intervention trials in senior housing communities. The intervention resulted in significant improvement in several measures despite ceiling effects. The study included several features that suggest high potential for its implementation and dissemination across similar communities nationally. Future studies are warranted, particularly in samples with lower baseline resilience or in assisted living facilities.

The study aims to assess the relationship between oral discomfort and subjective well-being (SWB) in older people.

A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in four Reference Centers for Social Welfare in Fortaleza, Northeastern Brazil. A census was held and individual interviews were carried out with all the older people (n = 246) enrolled in the centers. A questionnaire addressing sociodemographic data (age, gender, marital status, income, and education) and oral discomfort (dry mouth, difficulty in chewing and swallowing food, problems with the taste of food, burning mouth sensation, pain for no apparent reason, and mouth swelling) and the 62-item SWB scale were used.

Participants were 246 people aged 60–89 years (mean of 69 ± 6.9 years). The majority were women (n = 199; 80.9%), had incomplete primary education (n = 161; 65.4%), had an income of up to one minimum wage (n = 182; 74%), were retired (n = 169; 68.7%), were white (n = 100; 40.7%), and had no partner (n = 177; 72%). The mean SWB score (subscale 1) was associated with age (p = 0.010), gender (p = 0.019), health in the previous year (p = 0.027), systemic diseases (p = 0.007), speech problems (p = 0.016), vision problems (p = 0.006), number of teeth (p = 0.010), and dry mouth (p = 0.044). SWB (subscale 2) was associated with gender (p = 0.029), skin color (p = 0.023), general health (p < 0.001), health in the previous year (p < 0.001), systemic diseases (p = 0.001), drinking (p = 0.022), soft tissue problems (p = 0.001), and pain for no apparent reason (p = 0.025).

The relationship between oral discomfort and SWB reveals that older people's poor oral health leads to physical, psychological, and/or social problems that directly interfere with their well-being.

Psychological resources, such as psychological well-being (PWB) and life satisfaction (LS) can aid individuals suffering from chronic illnesses to cope with their illness. The aim of this study was to investigate PWB, LS, quality of life (QoL), and distress in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to compare them with healthy controls.

One hundred and thirteen individuals were recruited. Fifty of the participants suffered from PD, while 53 individuals reported other non-neurological diseases. PD patients were assessed through medical routine examinations. All participants had to be devoid of severe cognitive impairment. They were administered self-report questionnaires to measure PWB, LS, QoL, and distress. A cross-sectional comparative design was applied.

PD patients reported higher general PWB than controls with the exception of the autonomy subscale where the PD patients scored lower. However, they also reported higher distress (anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and hostility-irritability), lower LS, and poorer QoL compared to controls. In regressive models, general PWB and LS were significantly correlated to the presence of PD, to its functional impairments, and not to other socio-demographic variables.

Findings confirmed previous literature on other neurological conditions, showing that PD may be associated with greater psychological distress, lower levels of LS and QoL. At the same time, PD patients may preserve their PWB, which is a protective factor for mental and physical health. The presence of these psychological resources is inversely related to functional impairments. Future studies should better investigate the pattern of PWB in PD.

Definitions of successful aging that incorporate dimensions of physical capacity and medical conditions are limited owing to the normative nature of experiencing medical conditions with age. We examine the capacity for older adults living in the community to live well with or without chronic disease as they age.

Participants (n = 1,001) were from the Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Ageing (MELSHA) study who were aged 65+ years at baseline, were living in the community and followed for 16 years.

Aging was associated with not living well (OR = 1.21; p < 0.001) and having a chronic disease (OR = 1.09; p < 0.001). There was increasing proportion of older adults not living well with chronic disease as they aged. Those not living well were at a substantial risk of death with (OR = 3.63; p < 0.001) or without (OR = 3.59; p < 0.001) chronic disease.

The defining normative experience for older adults is that they are more likely to have a chronic disease and importantly not be living well with chronic disease as they age. However, it was the state of not living well that reflected the most substantial vulnerability for mortality, not chronic disease.

Age-related cognitive decline is common and well-documented. Cognitive speed of processing training (SOPT) has been shown to improve trained abilities (Useful Field of View; UFOV), but transfer to individual non-trained cognitive outcomes or neuropsychological composites is sparse. We examine the effects of SOPT on a composite of six equally weighted tests – UFOV, Trail-making A and B, Symbol Digit Modality, Controlled Oral Word Association, Stroop Color and Word, and Digit Vigilance.

681 patients were randomized separately within two age-bands (50–64, ≥ 65) to three SOPT groups (10 initial hours on-site, 10 initial hours on-site plus 4 hours of boosters, or 10 initial hours at-home) or an attention-control group (10 initial hours on-site of crossword puzzles). At one-year, 587 patients (86.2%) had complete data. A repeated measures linear mixed model was used.

Factor analysis revealed a simple unidimensional structure with Cronbach's α of 0.82. The time effect was statistically significant (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.246), but the time by treatment group (p = 0.331), time by age-band (p = 0.463), and time by treatment group by age-band (p = 0.564) effects were not.

Compared to the attention-control group who played a computerized crossword puzzle game, assignment to 10–14 hours of SOPT did not significantly improve a composite measure of cognitive abilities.

Jog Your Mind is a community-based program aiming at empowering elderly people to maintain their cognitive abilities using a multi-strategic approach including cognitively stimulating activities, mnemonic strategies, and strategies to promote healthy behaviors. It is offered to elderly individuals without known or diagnosed cognitive impairment by volunteers or community practitioners over ten weekly sessions. This paper describes the protocol of a quasi-experimental study designed to evaluate Jog Your Mind.

Community responsible to recruit participants were either assigned to the experimental group (participating in the Jog Your Mind program) or to the control group (one-year waiting list). All participants were interviewed at baseline (T1), after the program (T2), and 12 months after the baseline (T3). Primary outcomes were the use of everyday memory strategies and aids and subjective memory functioning in daily life. Secondary outcomes included attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to cognitive vitality and cognitive abilities (memory and executive functions). Program delivery, organizational and environmental variables were recorded to document the implementation process.

Twenty-three community organizations recruited 294 community-dwelling elderly individuals in total at T1. Between T1 and T3, an attrition rate of 15.2% was obtained.

Jog Your Mind is one of the only programs targeting cognition among older adults being offered in community settings by community practitioners. The protocol described was designed with a focus on maximizing broad generalizations of the results while achieving scientific rigor. It can serve as an example to guide future research aiming to evaluate health interventions under natural conditions.