Elders with dementia and self-reported visual impairment may be at higher risk for disability, and may benefit from interventions to maximize vision and functioning, say investigators from the University of Michigan Medical School.
The researchers analyzed health data from more than 7,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study. Individuals with dementia and visual impairment were less functional in mobility, self-care, and household activities than their peers with either condition alone, wrote Nish Patel and colleagues.
In fact, participants with both conditions had “particularly poor functionality” with relative scores nearly 50% lower for all activity limitations evaluated. This is a greater functional impairment than would be expected, Patel added.
“These findings suggest that the growing population of older adults with both visual impairment and dementia may benefit from interventions to maximize vision and cognition, and promote functioning and independence,” the authors concluded.
The study was published online in JAMA Ophthalmology.
