Incidence of Homelessness among Veterans Newly Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.

Background: To determine the incidence of homelessness among Veterans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

Methods: We used Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative records to identify Veterans with a new ADRD diagnosis anytime between 2010-2019. Among these Veterans, we calculated the incidence of homelessness, and estimated the association between demographics, comorbidities and hazard of homelessness.

Results: The incidence rate of homelessness was highest for Veterans diagnosed with ADRD between 18-49 years of age (14.9 per 1,000 person-years; 95%CI: 13.6, 16.3) and lowest for Veterans diagnosed with ADRD at 90+ years (0.3 per 1,000 person-years; 95%CI: 0.2, 0.4). The adjusted hazard ratio of homelessness was higher for unmarried Veterans, and those with alcohol use disorder, substance use disorder, liver disease, depression, hypertension, lung disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and psychoses.

Conclusions: Younger age and being unmarried at the time of ADRD diagnosis are associated with a greater risk of experiencing homelessness.