Population aging is a major demographic phenomenon that has led to increases in dementia. Though long clinically recognized, there is no cure for dementia. Despite clear urgency, longitudinal research on modifiable risk factors for dementia is lacking, as is cross-cultural research (though interventions should be culturally relevant). One modifiable risk factor, a “new” health determinant, is loneliness. Most studies connecting loneliness and cognition are focused on one time point and single countries. Therefore, I use data from the Health and Retirement Study and the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (Germany specifically). Germany is interesting because it is in a demographic crisis due to population aging; their population is simultaneously growing older and shrinking. I leverage latent growth curve modelling to compare trajectories to develop a causal understanding of loneliness and cognition. However, loneliness is a subjective measure of health with no clinical cutpoints, and there are known cultural variations in the measure, emphasizing the importance of both qualitative and cross-cultural research. Thus, I use this longitudinal analysis as scaffolding for participant observation in adult day centers in the United States and Germany and semi-structured interviews with adults over the age of 65 in both countries. This qualitative work, which is in progress, will explain the mechanisms underlying the relationship between loneliness and cognitive decline and elucidate cultural variations in the experience of loneliness. Overall, this project informs the development of targeted interventions to alleviate dementia burden, which is a critical population-level issue around the globe.

Authors:
Edith-Marie Green, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Edith-Marie Green is currently a doctoral candidate in the Population Health Sciences PhD program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is a NIA graduate trainee and broadly researches aging and end-of-life healthcare.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edithmariegreen1923

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