ENGAGEMENT IN MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY AND WELL-BEING, COGNITION, AND MORTALITY IN PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Abstract Per activity theory, older adults who remain engaged in the world around them experience increased levels of psychological and physical well-being. Activity engagement is particularly important for older adults with dementia, as it has been shown to decrease depressive symptomatology, improve performance of daily activities, improve quality of life, foster positive attitudes toward caregivers, and decrease challenging behaviors. Using data from the second (T1) and third (T2) rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), we examined activity engagement as a predictor of well-being, functional independence, cognition, and mortality in participants with dementia through logistic regression models. Engagement at T1 was significantly associated with higher well-being, greater independence of complex daily activities, better cognition, and decreased mortality at T2. Our findings show that meaningful activities may decrease mortality even in the face of chronic health conditions and dementia diagnosis, and can enhance quality of life, well-being, and cognition.

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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