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IntroductionThere are limited data on prevalence of dementia in centenarians and near-centenarians (C/NC), its determinants, and whether the risk of dementia continues to rise beyond 100.MethodsParticipant-level data were obtained from 18 community-based studies (N = 4427) in 11 countries that included individuals ≥95 years. A harmonization protocol was applied to cognitive and functional impairments, and a meta-analysis was performed.ResultsThe mean age was 98.3 years (SD = 2.67); 79% were women. After adjusting for age, sex, and education, dementia prevalence was 53.2% in women and 45.5% in men, with risk continuing to increase with age. Education (OR 0.95;0.92-0.98) was protective, as was hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 0.51;0.35-0.74) in five studies. Dementia was not associated with diabetes, vision and hearing impairments, smoking, and body mass index (BMI).DiscussionAmong the exceptional old, dementia prevalence remains higher in the older participants. Education was protective against dementia, but other factors for dementia-free survival in C/NC remain to be understood.

Purpose: Given age-related health restrictions, the importance of the environment for life satisfaction may increase in later life. This study investigated whether objective and perceived physical and social environmental aspects of the home and of the surrounding neighborhood represent resources for or risks to life satisfaction among young-old and old-old individuals. Design and Methods: A population-based sample of 381 community-dwelling individuals aged 65-94 years reported on their sociophysical environment and life satisfaction using questionnaires. Results: On average, young-old differ from old-old in indoor physical environmental indicators but not in neighborhood characteristics or social aspects of housing. Regression analyses revealed that apartment size, perceived neighborhood quality, and outdoor place attachment explained life satisfaction independently, whereas social housing aspects played only a minor role. Separate analyses for both age groups revealed age differential explanation patterns. Apartment size was positively related to life satisfaction in the young-old but was negatively related in the old-old. For the old-old, perceived neighborhood quality and outdoor place attachment were more important than for the young-old. Living with others was positively related to life satisfaction only for the young-old. Implications: Environmental characteristics at home and in the neighborhood need to be considered to better understand differential processes of aging in place with respect to well-being.

Purpose: Valuation of life (VOL) represents a construct capturing active attachment to life put forward by M. P. Lawton (e.g., 1999). As old and very old individuals may differ in terms of endorsement and with respect to what makes a life worth living, the present study investigated whether mean levels and the explanatory value of sociodemographic, social, and health predictors for VOL differ between young-old and old-old individuals. Design and Methods: We presented a sample of 356 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 to 94 years with Lawton's Positive Valuation of Life Scale and established measures to assess predictors of VOL. Results: Mean levels of VOL decreased from the third to the fourth age. Zero-order correlations showed significant relations between sociodemographic (i.e., age, gender, marital status, education), social (i.e., social contacts, phone calls, volunteering, contact with youth), and health (i.e., mobility, vision, hearing, activity restrictions, activity of daily living [ADL], instrumental ADL [IADL]) indicators. Regression analyses for the domain-specific predictors reduced the number of significant predictors to age, education, grandchildren, vision, and IADLs. When combining all sets of predictors, health explained twice as much variance in VOL compared to social indicators; sociodemographic indicators including age made no independent contribution. Separate analysis for young-old and old-old participants revealed age-differential prediction patterns. For the young-old, the role of health factors was especially strong, whereas specific social factors became more important in the old-old group. Implications: Age-differential predictive values of the resources seem to indicate positive adaptation to aging. Taking into account such prediction patterns may help to design specific interventions for young-old and old-old individuals.

With increasing age, older adults are more likely to be challenged by an increasing number of physical, functional and social losses. As a result, coping with losses becomes a central theme in very late life. This study investigated age differences and age changes in active behavioral, active cognitive and avoidance coping and related coping to adaptational outcomes, such as physical and mental health. Sixty-one sexagenarians, 46 octo-genarians, and 47 centenarians from the Georgia Centenarian Study participated in this longitudinal study to assess coping with health and family events. The results indicated age group differences in active behavioral coping, suggesting that centenarians were less likely to use this mode of coping. Centenarians and octogenarians were also more likely to experience decreases in active behavioral coping over time, while sexagenarians were more likely to experience increases in this coping mode. No significant differences in coping with health versus family events were obtained suggesting that coping is consistent across life domains. Moderate levels of stability were obtained for coping in all age groups. Active behavioral and active cognitive coping predicted functional health, active behavioral coping predicted social relations, and avoidance coping predicted negative affect. (Contains 4 tables.)

Byline: Sabine Eichberg (1), Christoph Rott (2) Keywords: Erwachsenenalter; Sportengagement; Gesundheit; Langsschnittstudie; Aging; Physical activity; Involvement; Health; Longitudinal study Abstract (German): Ausgehend von der These, dass das Sportengagement mit zunehmendem Alter abnimmt, geht die vorliegende Studie der Frage nach, welche Faktoren zur Unterscheidung von kontinuierlichem und diskontinuierlichem Sportverhalten im mittleren und hoheren Erwachsenenalter beitragen. In die Untersuchung gingen 436 Personen im Alter von etwa 44 und 64 Jahren ein, die zu zwei Messzeitpunkten (T1:1994, T2:1998) an der aInterdisziplinaren Langsschnittstudie des Erwachsenenalters' (ILSE) teilnahmen. Die Sportaktivitat wurde in einem halbstrukturierten Interview erhoben. Basierend auf den Angaben, konnten vier Kategorien des Sportverhaltens gebildet werden (kontinuierlich Sportaktive und -passive, Sporteinsteiger und -aussteiger). Die Ergebnisse zeigten zunachst, dass vor allem sportlich aktive Personen uber eine bessere subjektive und objektive Gesundheit verfugen, weniger kardiovaskulare Risikofaktoren aufweisen, uber weniger Schmerzen berichten sowie uber ein hoheres Pro-Kopf-Nettoeinkommen und eine hohere Schulbildung verfugen. Die Ergebnisse einer Diskriminanzanalyse weisen darauf hin, dass objektive Parameter der Gesundheit aber vor allem der wahrgenommene Gesundheitszustand einen grossen Beitrag zur Trennung des kontinuierlichen und diskontinuierlichen Sportverhaltens leisten. Es kann daher vermutet werden, dass eine hohe Einschatzung der eigenen Gesundheit zur Beibehaltung oder Aufnahme sportlicher Aktivitat fuhrt, wahrend eine schlechte Einschatzung der eigenen Gesundheit eher zu Sportpassivitat und zum Aufgeben sportlicher Aktivitat beitragt. Abstract: Involvement in physical activity often decreases as individuals get older. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the involvement in physical activity in mid- and later adulthood and the determinants of continuous or discontinuous physical activity or inactivity, respectively. As part of the Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study of Adult Development (ILSE), 436 men and women were interviewed at the ages of 44 and 64 years about their physical activity over 4 years. Four categories of sports behavior were considered (continuously active and inactive persons, beginners, and formerly active individuals). Self-rated and objective health, cardiovascular risk factors, pain, and net income at both times of measurement differed between the physically active and inactive participants. In particular, self-rated health was the main factor discriminating the four categories of sports behavior. Persons who rated their health as good or very good were more likely to belong to the group of the continuously active and beginners while individuals who rated their health as poor were more likely to belong to the group of sedentary or formerly active persons. Author Affiliation: (1) Institut fur Sportwissenschaft und Sport, Universitat Bonn, Nachtigallenweg 86, 53127, Bonn (2) Deutsches Zentrum fur Alternsforschung, Heidelberg Article History: Registration Date: 27/01/2004 Received Date: 23/06/2003 Accepted Date: 17/12/2003 Online Date: 03/04/2004

This study examined how common thinking of and planning for the end of life (EOL) is among German and Portuguese centenarians, and whether patterns of EOL views are shaped by cultural and individual characteristics. A significant portion of centenarians in both countries reported not thinking about the EOL, not believing in the afterlife, and not having made EOL arrangements. Latent class analysis identified three EOL patterns: Class 1 (EOL thoughts with EOL arrangements and afterlife beliefs), Class 2 (EOL arrangements and afterlife beliefs without EOL thoughts), and Class 3 (Overall low endorsement of EOL items). The proportion of Portuguese centenarians was higher in Class 1 and of German centenarians higher in Classes 2 and 3. Centenarians' demographic, social, and health characteristics were significantly different across EOL patterns. As lack of EOL planning can result in poor EOL quality, enhancing communication among centenarians, family, and health-care professionals seems imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]