Healthcare utilization among pre-frail and frail Puerto Ricans.

Frailty is associated with adverse health outcomes and greater healthcare utilization. Less is known about the relationship between frailty and healthcare utilization in Puerto Rico, where high rates of chronic conditions and limited healthcare may put this group at a higher likelihood of using healthcare resources. This study examined the association between pre-frailty and frailty with healthcare utilization at baseline and 4-year follow-up among a cohort of community dwelling Puerto Ricans living on the island.

Documentation of Dementia as a Cause of Death Among Mexican-American Decedents Diagnosed with Dementia.

Background: Hispanic older adults are a high-risk population for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) but are less likely than non-Hispanic White older adults to have ADRD documented as a cause of death on a death certificate.

Objective: To investigate characteristics associated with ADRD as a cause of death among Mexican-American decedents diagnosed with ADRD.

Methods: Data came from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, Medicare claims, and National Death Index.

Pain associates with subjective memory problems and cognition in older Puerto Rican adults.

This study examined whether pain is associated with subjective memory problems or cognition in Puerto Rican older adults. Participants came from the Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions (PREHCO) study, aged 60 and over ( = 2,144). Analyses examined concurrent and longitudinal associations of pain with subjective memory problems and cognition using a cognitive screener.

Quality of Education and Late-Life Cognitive Function in a Population-Based Sample From Puerto Rico.

Background And Objectives: We examined quality of education, literacy, and years of education in relation to late-life cognitive function and decline in older Puerto Ricans.

Research Design And Methods: Our sample consisted of 3,385 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older from the Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions study. Quality of education was based on principal component analysis of variables gathered from Department of Education and Census reports.

A Combined Treatment Approach to Support Everyday Function and Promote Brain Health in Older Adults: A Pilot Study.

: Subtle changes in functional abilities are an early indicator of cognitive impairment. Early intervention may be key to prolonging independence. This study describes the development and program evaluation of an intervention designed to (1) bolster the use of compensation strategies that support everyday executive and memory functioning and (2) utilize these strategies to promote engagement in brain health activities.

Compensation Strategies in Older Adults: Association With Cognition and Everyday Function.

Background/rationale: Compensation strategies may contribute to greater resilience among older adults, even in the face of cognitive decline. This study sought to better understand how compensation strategy use among older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment impacts everyday functioning.

Methods: In all, 125 older adults (normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, dementia) underwent neuropsychological testing, and their informants completed questionnaires regarding everyday compensation and cognitive and functional abilities.

Early Functional Limitations in Cognitively Normal Older Adults Predict Diagnostic Conversion to Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objectives: To examine whether specific types of early functional limitations in cognitively normal older adults are associated with subsequent development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as the relative predictive value of self versus informant report in predicting diagnostic conversion to MCI.

Design: As a part of a longitudinal study design, participants underwent baseline and annual multidisciplinary clinical evaluations, including a physical and neurological examination, imaging, laboratory work, and neuropsychological testing.

Setting: Data used in this study were collected as part of longitudinal research at the University of California, Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center.