Longitudinal Changes in Hearing and Visual Impairments and Risk of Dementia in Older Adults in the United States.

Importance: Hearing and vision problems are individually associated with increased dementia risk, but the impact of having concurrent hearing and vision deficits, ie, dual sensory impairment (DSI), on risk of dementia, including its major subtypes Alzheimer disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD), is not well known. Objective: To evaluate whether DSI is associated with incident dementia in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective cohort study from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) was conducted between 1992 and 1999, with as many as 8 years of follow-up. The multicenter, population-based sample was recruited from Medicare eligibility files in 4 US communities with academic medical centers. Of 5888 participants aged 65 years and older in CHS, 3602 underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging and completed the modified Mini-Mental State Examination in 1992 to 1994 as part of the CHS Cognition Study. A total of 227 participants were excluded due to prevalent dementia, leaving a total of 3375 participants without dementia at study baseline. The study hypothesis was that DSI would be associated with increased risk of dementia compared with no sensory impairment. The association between the duration of DSI with risk of dementia was also evaluated. Data analysis was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020. Exposures: Hearing and vision impairments were collected via self-report at baseline and as many as 5 follow-up visits. Main Outcomes and Measures: All-cause dementia, AD, and VaD, classified by a multidisciplinary committee using standardized criteria. Results: A total of 2927 participants with information on hearing and vision at all available study visits were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 74.6 [4.8] years; 1704 [58.2%] women; 455 [15.5%] African American or Black; 2472 [85.5%] White). Compared with no sensory impairment, DSI was associated with increased risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 2.60; 95% CI, 1.66-2.06; P < .001), AD (HR, 3.67; 95% CI, 2.04-6.60; P < .001) but not VaD (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.00-4.09; P = .05). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, DSI was associated with increased risk of dementia, particularly AD. Evaluation of hearing and vision in older adults may help to identify those at high risk of developing dementia.

Trajectories of cognitive functioning in later life: Disparities by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, sex, and multimorbidity combinations.

Evaluating multimorbidity combinations, racial/ethnic background, educational attainment, and sex associations with age-related cognitive changes is critical to clarifying the health, sociodemographic, and socioeconomic mechanisms associated with cognitive function in later life. Data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study for respondents aged 65 years and older (N = 10,548, mean age = 77.5) were analyzed using linear mixed effect models. Racial/ethnic differences (mutually-exclusive groups: non-Latino White, non-Latino Black, and Latino) in cognitive trajectories and significant interactions with sex and education (

The price of mental well-being in later life: the role of financial hardship and debt.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the associations between various financial hardship and debt indicators and mental health status among older adults. METHODS: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we considered the association between different forms of financial hardship and debt of those who were identified as having high levels of depressive symptoms (N = 7678) and anxiety (N = 8079). Financial hardship indicators: difficulty paying bills, food insecurity, and medication need; debt indicators: credit card and medical debt. Associations were tested using multiple logistic regression analyses and are reported as relative risk (RR) ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Participants who had difficulty paying bills were more likely to have high levels of depressive symptoms (RR = 2.06, CI = 1.75-2.42, p < 0.001) and anxiety (RR = 1.46, CI = 1.02-2.05, p < 0.001) compared to those who did not have financial difficulty. Similarly, medical debt was associated with depressive symptoms (RR = 1.43, CI = 1.14-1.74, p < 0.01) and anxiety (RR = 1.20, CI = 0.96-1.50, p < 0.01). Credit card debt was not significantly associated with either mental health outcome. CONCLUSION: Indicators of financial hardship and medical debt were associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety in a cohort of older adults. In contrast, the influence of credit card debt appeared to be more complex and vary by individual. These findings indicate that doing without meeting personal salient needs has a particularly adverse effect on psychological well-being.

Associations Between Activities of Daily Living Independence and Mental Health Status Among Medicare Managed Care Patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although there is a strong cross-sectional association between dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs) and decreased mental health, it is largely unknown how the loss of specific ADLs, or the combination of ADLs, influences mental health outcomes. We examined the effect of ADL independence on mental health among participants in a large survey of Medicare managed care recipients. DESIGN/SETTING: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 104,716 participants in cohort 17 of the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey, who completed the baseline and follow-up surveys in 2014 and 2016. MEASUREMENTS: Linear regression models estimated the effects of loss of ADL independence on change in Mental Component Summary (MCS) score. RESULTS: In an adjusted model, loss of independence in eating, bathing, dressing, and toileting were associated with three- to four-point declines in MCS, suggesting meaningful worsening. In a model that also included all six ADLs, loss of independence in each ADL was associated with declines in MCS, with the largest effects for eating and bathing. MCS decreased by 1.3 per each additional summative loss of ADL independence (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Loss of ADL independence was associated with large declines in mental health, with personal care activities showing the largest effects. Additional research can help to characterize the causes of ADL loss, to explore how older adults cope with it, and to identify ways of maximizing resilience. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1301-1306, 2020.

Cost-related delay in filling prescriptions and health care ratings among medicare advantage recipients.

Despite higher health care needs, older adults often have limited and fixed income. Approximately a quarter of them report not filling or delaying prescription medications due to cost (cost-related prescription delay, CRPD). To ascertain the association between CRPD and satisfaction with health care, secondary analysis of the 2012 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Medicare Advantage Survey was performed.Regression models quantified the association between CRPD and rating of personal doctor, specialist, and overall health care. Models were adjusted for demographic, health-related, and socioeconomic characteristics. 274,996 Medicare Advantage enrollees were mailed the CAHPS survey, of which 101,910 (36.8%) returned a survey that had responses to all the items we analyzed. CRPD was assessed by self-report of delay in filling prescriptions due to cost. Health care ratings were on a 0-10 scale. A score ≤ 5 was considered a poor rating of care.In unadjusted models, CRPD more than doubled the relative risk (RR) for poor ratings of personal doctor (RR 2.34), specialist (RR 2.14), and overall health care (RR 2.40). Adjusting for demographics and health status slightly reduced the RRs to 1.9, but adjusting for low-income subsidy and lack of insurance for medications did not make a difference.CRPD is independently associated with poor ratings of medical care, regardless of health, financial or insurance status. Providers might reduce patients' financial stress and improve patient satisfaction by explicitly discussing prescription cost and incorporating patient priorities when recommending treatments.

Association Between Mental Health Staffing Level and Primary Care-Mental Health Integration Level on Provision of Depression Care in Veteran's Affairs Medical Facilities.

We examined the association of mental health staffing and the utilization of primary care/mental health integration (PCMHI) with facility-level variations in adequacy of psychotherapy and antidepressants received by Veterans with new, recurrent, and chronic depression. Greater likelihood of adequate psychotherapy was associated with increased (1) PCMHI utilization by recurrent depression patients (AOR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00, 1.03); and (2) staffing for recurrent (AOR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01, 1.06) and chronic (AOR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00, 1.03) depression patients (p < 0.05). No effects were found for antidepressants. Mental health staffing and PCMHI utilization explained only a small amount of the variance in the adequacy of depression care.

Protocol for the Assessment of Patient Capacity to Make End-of-Life Treatment Decisions.

Patients' right to decide what happens to their bodies, especially around the end of life, is enshrined in legislation across the world, but questions often arise about whether a patient is capable of meaningfully participating in such decisions. Because of uncertainties about capacity, care providers and administrative agencies often must decide whether to honor, or even to elicit, patients' wishes. General decision-making capacity has been well studied, but few clear protocols exist for ascertaining capacity at the end of life. Without clear guidelines about how to assess capacity, medical staff may ignore assessment and operate from invalid assumptions. In the interests of protecting patients' agency, we propose a straightforward protocol for assessing capacity to make decisions about end-of-life interventions.

Reevaluation of a clinical resource for assessment of delirium, dementia, and depression.

There is a perennial need to extend geriatrics knowledge and expertise to primary care providers to meet the unique needs of older patients. Reaching the target population of providers in an effective manner presents challenges for educators and evaluation of education programs. Gaps in a previous dissemination of an Assessment Guide for delirium, dementia, and depression were addressed through a multimodal strategy to reach a greater proportion of the intended audience, primary care clinicians, and to further evaluate the clinical impact of this learning resource. Sixty-five health care providers completed a forced choice online questionnaire. The majority of respondents were primary care providers (62.5%) who used the Assessment Guide in clinical activities such as patient assessment and patient education. Semistructured interviews with selected key informants (N = 16) provided examples of clinical impact such as improved diagnosis and changes in medication.

Incident Atrial Fibrillation and Disability-Free Survival in the Cardiovascular Health Study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the associations between incident atrial fibrillation (AF) and disability-free survival and risk of disability. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Cardiovascular Health Study. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 65 and older and enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare followed between 1991 and 2009 (MN = 4,046). Individuals with prevalent AF, activity of daily living (ADL) disability, or a history of stroke or heart failure at baseline were excluded. MEASUREMENTS: Incident AF was identified according to annual study electrocardiogram, hospital discharge diagnosis, or Medicare claims. Disability-free survival was defined as survival free of ADL disability (any difficulty or inability in bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, walking around the home, or getting out of a bed or chair). ADLs were assessed at annual study visits or in a telephone interview. Association between incident AF and disability-free survival or risk of disability was estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Over an average of 7.0 years of follow-up, 660 individuals (16.3%) developed incident AF, and 3,112 (77%) became disabled or died. Incident AF was associated with shorter disability-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) for death or ADL disability = 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.55-1.90) and a higher risk of ADL disability (HR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.18-1.58) than in individuals with no history of AF. This association persisted after adjustment for interim stroke and heart failure. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that AF is a risk factor for shorter functional longevity in older adults, independent of other risk factors and comorbid conditions.

Trends in cigarette smoking and cessation among Medicare managed care recipients, 2005-2012.

OBJECTIVES: To examine recent trends in cigarette smoking among older (65 years and above) adults in the United States. METHODS: We used data from the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey dataset to estimate rates of smoking, quitting, and (re)starting from 2005 to 2012. Medicare Advantage enrollees completed mail surveys at baseline and two years later. We included subgroup analyses by sex, race, and self-rated health. RESULTS: Smoking prevalence declined slightly, with most of the decline occurring over the course of a single year (2007-2008). Rates of quitting declined slightly (meaning fewer people were quitting), and (re)starting marginally declined from 2005 to 2012. There were no substantial differences between subgroups. We did not observe any significant changes in prevalence or cessation of smoking among Medicare Advantage participants during this time. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking remains a public health problem for older adults. We did not find evidence of significant changes in smoking prevalence or cessation for older adults during the time period we examined.

Dyspnea and pain frequently co-occur among Medicare managed care recipients.

RATIONALE: Experimental and neuroimaging studies have suggested strong associations between dyspnea and pain. The co-occurrence of these symptoms has not been examined in community samples. OBJECTIVES: We sought to ascertain the co-occurrence of pain and dyspnea by self-report in a large cohort of Medicare recipients. METHODS: We analyzed data from 266,000 Medicare Managed Care recipients surveyed in 2010 and 2012. Dyspnea was defined by aggregating three questions about shortness of breath (at rest, while walking one block, and while climbing stairs). Pain was measured by four questions about pain interference, chest pain, back pain, and arthritis pain. All measures were dichotomized as high or low/none. We calculated the co-occurrence of pain and dyspnea at baseline, and generated logistic regression models to find the adjusted relative risk (RR) of their co-occurrence, adjusting for patient-level factors and three potential medical causes of dyspnea (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema/asthma, congestive heart failure, and obesity). We modeled the simultaneous development and the simultaneous resolution of dyspnea and pain between baseline and 2 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Participants with dyspnea had considerably higher prevalence of pain than those without (64 vs. 18%). In fully adjusted models, participants with any of the types of pain were substantially more likely to report dyspnea than those without these types of pain (high pain interference: relative risk [RR], 1.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.92-2.07; chest pain: RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 2.04-2.18; back pain: RR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.71-1.82; and arthritis pain: RR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.44-1.54). The relative risks of dyspnea developing or resolving at 2 years were greatly increased (RRs of 1.5 - 4) if pain also developed or resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Pain and dyspnea commonly occurred, developed, and resolved together. Most older adults with dyspnea also reported pain. Medical conditions typically assumed to cause dyspnea did not account for this association. The most plausible explanation for the co-occurrence is physical deconditioning.

Age and sex trends in long-term opioid use in two large American health systems between 2000 and 2005.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate recent age- and sex-specific changes in long-term opioid prescription among patients with chronic pain in two large American Health Systems. DESIGN: Analysis of administrative pharmacy data to calculate changes in prevalence of long-term opioid prescription (90 days or more during a calendar year) from 2000 to 2005, within groups based on sex and age (18-44, 45-64, and 65 years and older). Separate analyses were conducted for patients with and without a diagnosis of a mood disorder or anxiety disorder. Changes in mean dose between 2000 and 2005 were estimated, as were changes in the rate of prescription for different opioid types (short-acting, long-acting, and non-Schedule 2). PATIENTS: Enrollees in HealthCore (N = 2,716,163 in 2000) and Arkansas Medicaid (N = 115,914 in 2000). RESULTS: Within each of the age and sex groups, less than 10% of patients with a chronic pain diagnosis in HealthCore, and less than 33% in Arkansas Medicaid, received long-term opioid prescriptions. All age, sex, and anxiety/depression groups showed similar and statistically significant increases in long-term opioid prescription between 2000 and 2005 (35-50% increase). Per-patient daily doses did not increase. CONCLUSIONS: No one group showed especially large increases in long-term opioid prescriptions between 2000 and 2005. These results argue against a recent epidemic of opioid prescribing. These trends may result from increased attention to pain in clinical settings, policy or economic changes, or provider and patient openness to opioid therapy. The risks and benefits to patients of these changes are not yet established.

How do health care providers perceive technologies for monitoring older adults?

Monitoring and assistive technologies for the older adults, by sensing and recording activities and status, provide an objective record of a patient's functioning within natural environments. Yet the data derived from these technologies do not directly address the clinical aims of health care providers. We conducted focus groups with health care providers who work with older adults to elicit their perspectives on monitoring technologies. Identified themes centered around the benefits and risks of technologies, patient needs, the clinical utility of information, and specific monitoring domains that might improve the health care of older adults. Providers highlighted the primary importance of involving families and caregivers, and of sustaining human interactions. They explored the difficulties with how to use information for clinical ends, and challenged the notion that more objective information would automatically improve their heath care. Designers, developers, and researchers might improve the utility and uptake of health-related technologies for older adults and their families by eliciting the viewpoints of clinical providers.