To examine the effects of prayer and meditation on the episodic memory of older adults. Secondary analysis of Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Drawing from a subsample of HRS ( = 1,135), this study utilized generalized estimating equation regression models to examine the effects of meditation and prayer on changes in episodic memory of older adults over time. Findings show a statistically significant positive effect of the use of prayer (0.50, < .05) on episodic memory score at baseline. We also observed a slight gain in episodic memory over time for older adults who used prayer (0.04, = .05). Meditation was not found to have a statistically significant effect on changes in memory in later life. This study illustrates the benefits of prayer in preserving memory and provides much needed empirical basis for community-level interventions to enhance memory in later life.
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