A London Metropolitan University dementia expert has presented new research to help explain the cause of dementia.
Date: 1 March 2017
Dr Snorri Rafnsson, course leader for BSc Health and Social Policy, has recently presented new research at the 23rd National Congress of the Spanish Psychogeriatrics Society in Bilbao, Spain.
Snorri has been involved in collaborative research based on data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a unique and rich resource of information on the health, social, wellbeing and economic circumstances of the English population aged 50 and older.
The research looks at data from older people within local communities to identify potential risk factors which could lead to the development of dementia. There was a focus on social factors in this study.
Snorri said: “The findings suggest that positive social interactions with close family and others may help delay, or even prevent, the onset of dementia in older age
“This in turn highlights the importance of policies and strategies that adequately support older people to maintain existing relationships, or form new ones, as such interventions may offer significant benefits for the health and well-being of ageing communities.”
The paper has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease which is due to be published later this year.
