@article {8289, title = {Does Stroke Contribute to Racial Differences in Cognitive Decline?}, journal = {Stroke}, volume = {46}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Jul}, pages = {1897-902}, publisher = {46}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It is unknown whether blacks{\textquoteright} elevated risk of dementia is because of racial differences in acute stroke, the impact of stroke on cognitive health, or other factors. We investigated whether racial differences in cognitive decline are explained by differences in the frequency or impact of incident stroke between blacks and whites, controlling for baseline cognition.

METHODS: Among 4908 black and white participants aged >=65 years free of stroke and cognitive impairment in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study with linked Medicare data (1998-2010), we examined longitudinal changes in global cognition (modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status) by race, before and after adjusting for time-dependent incident stroke followed by a race-by-incident stroke interaction term, using linear mixed-effects models that included fixed effects of participant demographics, clinical factors, and cognition, and random effects for intercept and slope for time.

RESULTS: We identified 34 of 453 (7.5\%) blacks and 300 of 4455 (6.7\%) whites with incident stroke over a mean (SD) of 4.1 (1.9) years of follow-up (P=0.53). Blacks had greater cognitive decline than whites (adjusted difference in modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score, 1.47 points; 95\% confidence interval, 1.21 to 1.73 points). With further adjustment for cumulative incidence of stroke, the black-white difference in cognitive decline persisted. Incident stroke was associated with a decrease in global cognition (1.21 points; P<0.001) corresponding to ≈7.9 years of cognitive aging. The effect of incident stroke on cognition did not statistically differ by race (P=0.52).

CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based cohort of older adults, incident stroke did not explain black-white differences in cognitive decline or impact cognition differently by race.

}, keywords = {African Continental Ancestry Group, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Cognition Disorders, European Continental Ancestry Group, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Risk Factors, Stroke}, issn = {1524-4628}, doi = {10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.008156}, url = {http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2015/05/20/STROKEAHA.114.008156.abstract}, author = {Deborah A Levine and Mohammed U Kabeto and Kenneth M. Langa and Lynda D Lisabeth and Mary A M Rogers and Andrzej T Galecki} } @article {7531, title = {Depression among older adults in the United States and England.}, journal = {Am J Geriatr Psychiatry}, volume = {18}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Nov}, pages = {1036-44}, publisher = {11}, abstract = {

CONTEXT: Depression negatively affects health and well being among older adults, but there have been no nationally representative comparisons of depression prevalence among older adults in England and the United States.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to compare depressive symptoms among older adults in these countries and identify sociodemographic and clinical correlates of depression in these countries.

DESIGN AND SETTING: The authors assessed depressive symptoms in non-Hispanic whites aged 65 years and older in 2002 in two nationally representative, population-based studies: the U.S. Health and Retirement Study and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 8,295 Health and Retirement Study respondents and 5,208 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing respondents.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The authors measured depressive symptoms using the eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The authors determined whether depressive symptom differences between the United States and England were associated with sociodemographic characteristics, chronic health conditions, and health behaviors.

RESULTS: Significant depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score >=4) were more prevalent in English than U.S. adults (17.6\% versus 14.6\%, adjusted Wald test F([1, 1593]) = 11.4, p < 0.001). Adjusted rates of depressive symptoms in England were 19\% higher compared with the United States (odds ratio: 1.19, 95\% confidence interval: 1.01-1.40). U.S. adults had higher levels of education, and net worth, but lower levels of activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living impairments, tobacco use, and cognitive impairment, which may have contributed to relatively lower levels of depressive symptoms in the United States.

CONCLUSIONS: Older adults in the United States had lower rates of depressive symptoms than their English counterparts despite having more chronic health conditions. Future cross-national studies should identify how depression treatment influences outcomes in these populations.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, depression, England, Female, Health Behavior, Health Status, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Prevalence, Risk Factors, United States, White People}, issn = {1545-7214}, doi = {10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181dba6d2}, author = {Zivin, Kara and David J Llewellyn and Iain A Lang and Sandeep Vijan and Mohammed U Kabeto and Erin M Miller and Kenneth M. Langa} } @article {7464, title = {Differences in functional impairment across subtypes of dementia.}, journal = {J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci}, volume = {65}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Apr}, pages = {434-41}, publisher = {65A}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a cause of disability in later life. Despite the importance of functional status to the diagnosis of dementia, limited information exists on differences in functional limitations by dementia subtype. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS) to determine the extent of functional impairment among older adults with dementia due to different etiologies.

METHODS: The ADAMS sample consisted of 856 individuals aged 71 years and older originally surveyed as part of the Health and Retirement Study. Based on a comprehensive in-person cognitive evaluation, respondents were assigned to diagnostic categories of normal cognition, cognitive impairment not demented, and demented. Dementia subtypes were grouped into three categories: vascular dementia (VaD), Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s dementia (AD), and dementia due to other etiologies. For 744 of the 856 respondents, a proxy informant completed a questionnaire asking whether the respondent had difficulty completing instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living (ADLs).

RESULTS: Of 744 ADAMS participants, 263 had dementia: 199 (70.5\%) with AD, 42 (16.9\%) with VaD, and 22 (12.6\%) were demented due to other etiologies. After adjustment for demographics, chronic illnesses, and dementia severity, participants with VaD (odds ratio [OR] 5.74; 95\% confidence interval [CI] 2.60-12.69) and other etiologies of dementia (OR 21.23; 95\% CI 7.25-62.16) were more likely to have greater than or equal to four ADL limitations compared with those with AD.

CONCLUSIONS: VaD is associated with significantly more ADL limitations than AD. These physical limitations should be considered when designing adult day care programs, which adequately accommodate the needs of non-AD patients.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Alzheimer disease, Dementia, Dementia, Vascular, Humans}, issn = {1758-535X}, doi = {10.1093/gerona/glp197}, author = {Tanya R Gure and Mohammed U Kabeto and Brenda L Plassman and John D Piette and Kenneth M. Langa} } @article {7324, title = {Does caring for your spouse harm one{\textquoteright}s health? Evidence from a United States nationally-representative sample of older adults.}, journal = {Ageing Soc}, volume = {29}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 Feb}, pages = {277-293}, publisher = {29}, abstract = {

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between spousal care-giving and declines in functioning and self-rated health among older care-givers. The authors used data from the 2000 and 2002 waves of the United States Health and Retirement Study, a biennial longitudinal survey of a nationally representative cohort of adults aged 50 or more years. Two outcomes were examined, declines in functioning and declines in self-rated health. Care-givers were classified into three groups: no care-giving, less than 14 hours of care-giving per week, and 14 or more hours care-giving per week. To assess declines in functioning, two summary scores were created of limitations in basic and instrumental Activities of Daily Living. To assess declines in self-rated health, we compared responses from 2000 and 2002. In the fully adjusted models, care-giving hours did not have an independent effect on declines in functioning or self-rated health. The relationship between care-giving hours and declines in functioning and self-rated health is probably attributable to socio-demographic characteristics, mainly age. The findings suggest that spousal care-giving does not of itself harm functional health or perceived health among older adult care-givers. Understanding the differential effects of these socio-economic characteristics with care-giving hours on health will be useful in promoting the health of older adult care-givers and treating their disorders.

}, issn = {0144-686X}, doi = {10.1017/S0144686X08007824}, author = {Kristi Rahrig Jenkins and Mohammed U Kabeto and Kenneth M. Langa} } @article {7198, title = {Degree of disability and patterns of caregiving among older Americans with congestive heart failure.}, journal = {J Gen Intern Med}, volume = {23}, year = {2008}, month = {2008 Jan}, pages = {70-6}, publisher = {23}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: Although congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common condition, the extent of disability and caregiving needs for those with CHF are unclear. We sought to determine: (1) prevalence of physical disability and geriatric conditions, (2) whether CHF is independently associated with disability, (3) rates of nursing home admission, and (4) formal and informal in-home care received in the older CHF population.

METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from the 2000 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. We compared outcomes among three categories of older adults: (1) no coronary heart disease (CHD), (2) CHD, without CHF, and (3) CHF. Compared to those without CHF, respondents reporting CHF were more likely to be disabled (P < 0.001) and to have geriatric conditions (P < 0.001). Respondents reporting CHF were more likely to have been admitted to a nursing home (P < 0.05). CHF respondents were more functionally impaired than respondents without CHF.

RESULTS: The adjusted average weekly informal care hours for respondents reporting CHF was higher than for those reporting CHD but without CHF and those reporting no CHD (6.7 vs 4.1 vs 5.1, respectively; P < 0.05). Average weekly formal caregiving hours also differed among the three groups (1.3 CHF vs 0.9 CHD without CHF vs 0.7 no CHD; P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: CHF imposes a significant burden on patients, families, and the long-term care system. Older adults with CHF have higher rates of disability, geriatric conditions, and nursing home admission.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Caregivers, Coronary Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Disabled Persons, Female, Health Surveys, Heart Failure, Hospitalization, Humans, Male, Nursing homes, United States}, issn = {1525-1497}, doi = {10.1007/s11606-007-0456-1}, author = {Tanya R Gure and Mohammed U Kabeto and Caroline S Blaum and Kenneth M. Langa} } @article {7048, title = {Differences in Amount of Informal Care Received by Non-Hispanic Whites and Latinos in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Americans}, journal = {Journal of the American Geriatrics Society}, volume = {53}, year = {2005}, pages = {146-151}, publisher = {53}, abstract = {The objective of this study was to evaluate informal (unpaid) care and its broad determinants for Latinos in a nationally representative sample. A cross-sectional analysis of the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Study, a national probability sample of 7,443 older adults aged 70 and older, was performed to determine the independent effect of Latino ethnicity on the receipt of informal care by disabled older individuals. Self-reported race/ethnicity was used to predict the mean daily hours of informal care received for activity of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) assistance after adjustment for predisposing, need, and enabling variables. There was a significant association between informal home care and ethnic group, with 44.3 of Latinos receiving informal care, compared with 33.9 of African Americans and 24.6 of non-Hispanic whites (Po.001). After adjustment, Latinos received 11.0 weekly hours of informal care, compared with 7.5 hours for non-Hispanic whites and 6.3 hours for African Americans (Po.001). The results from this nationally representative sample indicate that Latinos receive significantly more hours of informal care on average than African Americans or non-Hispanic whites for ADL and IADL disability. Clinicians should be alert to the significant amount of informal care and possible associated strain in caregivers of older Latinos.}, keywords = {Healthcare, Women and Minorities}, author = {Weiss, Carlos O. and Hector M Gonz{\'a}lez and Mohammed U Kabeto and Kenneth M. Langa} }