Journal
JOURNAL OF AGING AND HEALTH
Volume 33, Issue 9, Pages 772-785Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/08982643211008673
Keywords
environment; neighborhoods; social support; cognitive function; well-being
Categories
Funding
- NIH/NIA [1RF1AG057540-01]
- Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Postdoctoral Translational Scholar Program [UL1 TR002240-02]
- NIH/NIA Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship [F32 AG064815-01]
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The study found that socializing in places like eateries, senior centers, and civic groups can help maintain cognitive function in older adults; specific neighborhood social infrastructures play an important role in the cognitive health of older adults aging in place.
Objectives: Socialization predicts cognitive aging outcomes. Neighborhoods may facilitate socially engaged aging and thus shape cognition. We investigated places where older adults socialized and whether availability of these sites was associated with cognitive outcomes. Methods: Qualitative analysis of interviews and ethnography with 125 older adults (mean age 71 years) in Minneapolis identified where participants socialized outside of home. This informed quantitative analysis of a national sample of 21,151 older Americans (mean age at baseline 67 years) from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study. Multilevel generalized additive models described associations between access to key social places and cognitive function and decline. Results: Qualitative analysis identified eateries, senior centers, and civic groups as key places to socialize. We identified significant positive associations between kernel density of senior centers, civic/social organizations, and cognitive function. Discussion: Specific neighborhood social infrastructures may support cognitive health among older adults aging in place.
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