Article Synopsis |  | A longitudinal evaluation of nursing home admission in Australia found that 45 per cent of Australian nursing home admissions are primarily related to dementia, while dementia was a secondary diagnosis in a further 20 per cent of people admitted. Given the increased incidence of dementia with advancing age and the projected ageing of the Australian population, research into risk factors for dementia is a priority.
This report examines risk factors for dementia over a 16 year period assessing admissions to hospitals or nursing homes with any kind of dementia.
The results confirmed that increasing age and lower educational attainment are associated with increased risk of dementia. On average, the men developing dementia were 3.5 years older at baseline than their peers without dementia and similarly women with dementia were 5.7 years older than their peers. It was also revealed that a modest intake of alcohol offers substantial protection against the onset of dementia (34 per cent lower risk). The maintenance of physical, leisure and mental activity, especially daily gardening, were also identified as reducing the onset of dementia.
It is concluded that the findings suggest some public health messages for reducing future incidences of dementia be communicated to Australia’s ageing society. |