Trends in the Use of Medications and Supplements to Treat or Prevent Dementia: A Population-based Study

Objective:
To examine older adults’ use over time of agents to treat or prevent dementia or enhance memory.
Design:
Longitudinal community study with 10-year annual follow-up (2006-2017).
Setting:
Population-based cohort.
Participants:
A total of 1982 individuals with a mean (SD) age of 77 (7.4) years at baseline.
Measurements:
Demographics, self-report, direct inspection of prescription antidementia drugs and nonprescription supplements, cognitive and functional assessments, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR®) Dementia Staging Instrument.
Results:
Supplement use was reported by 27% to 42% of participants over 10 years. Use was associated with younger age, high school or greater education, good to excellent self-reported health, higher memory test scores, and absence of cognitive impairment or dementia (CDR=0). Over the same period, about 2% to 6% of participants took…

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