Elderly: social isolation, risk factor for dementia. Technology can fight it

Technology can help the elderly emerge from social isolation, an established risk factor for dementia. This is what two US studies suggest, which observed over 5,000 over 65s for nine years. Sending emails or messages from your cell phone can reduce the risk of experiencing social isolation by 31%.

13 GEN – Two studies published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society have shown that social isolation is a substantial risk factor for dementia among the over 65s and have identified technology as an effective resource for intervention. The two studies, based on data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, were conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

The two studies do not actually establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between dementia and social isolation, defined as a lack of social contacts and interactions with people on a regular basis. According to the researchers themselves, however, the work strengthens the evidence that isolation increases the risk of dementia and suggests that just sending emails or messages is enough to reduce this risk.

The first study collected data from 5,022 people over age 65 who were asked to complete an in-person interview each year to assess cognitive function, health status, and overall well-being. At the start of the study, 23% of the participants were socially withdrawn and showed no signs of dementia. At the end of the nine-year study period, 21% of the total sample had developed dementia. And the researchers concluded that the nine-year risk of developing dementia was 27 percent higher among those who led a socially isolated life.

The second study showed that action can be taken to reduce this risk, in particular by resorting to new communication technologies. Using the same previous database, the US team observed that more than 70% of people aged 65 and over who weren’t socially isolated at the start of the study had a cell phone or computer and regularly used email or text messages to communicate with others. Over the four-year research period, access to these technologies resulted in a 31% reduction in the risk of experiencing social isolation.

Sources: Journal of the American Geriatric Society 2023-2022

January 13, 2023
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