SHARED

Having at Least a High School Degree and a Complex Job Linked to Dementia Prevention

Research from COSMIC found that high occupational complexity is associated with dementia-free survival time, highlighting the importance of maintaining cognitive stimulation throughout life for lowering the risk of dementia.

The collaboration analysed 10,195 older adults across seven international studies from COSMIC.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, found that having at least completed high school and high occupational complexity were both and independently associated with dementia-free survival time, implying a lower chance of having developed dementia before the study ended.

Study Coordinator of COSMIC, Dr Darren Lipnicki, said that both early life education and mental engagement at work during adulthood are theorised to help prevent late-life dementia, but little is known about similarities or differences across geographical regions.

The research then examined whether education and occupational complexity were associated with dementia in later life, and whether there were similarities and differences across geographical regions.

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210627

Support for COSMIC is largely driven by CHeBA’s major philanthropic initiative, The Dementia Momentum.

Dementia affects fifty-five million people worldwide. We know that social connections can protect us against cognitive decline and dementia.

However, the type and amount of social connection we need for maintaining good cognitive health remain unknown. To uncover these answers, the NHMRC and European Union Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research have funded a project called SHARED (Social Health and Reserve in the Dementia patient journey). Our team at CHeBA are working alongside our partners at Erasmus MC, Radboud UMC, Wroclaw Medical University, Karolinska Institute, Bremen University and University College London to understand the links between social connections, brain health and dementia. In 2021, we published a systematic review on how to preserve and enhance the social connections of older adults with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. We found that music and dance groups helped people with cognitive impairments to stay connected with others. This was true even for those who had severe dementia and had lost their language abilities. Music formed a common thread that linked them to others. Other promising interventions included community social groups, animalassisted therapy and social robots.

We also looked at how social support impacts mental health in the second half of life.

Dr Suraj Samtani Study Coordinator

Dr Darren Lipnicki Study Coordinator

We analysed social support and depression data from over 19,000 people from eight countries. Our preliminary findings suggest that social support (especially having someone to confide in) is associated with lower depression at 2-year follow-up.

In a joint effort with our international partners, we interviewed people living mild cognitive impairment or dementia, their friends and family, and health