COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND INDEPENDENCE IN THE OLDEST-OLD: REVIEW STUDY BASED ON AGING IN PLACE

Some older adults desire to continue living in the community in which they reside. The concept of Aging in Place (AIP) is appropriate for this idea. For AIP to be successful, the oldest-old need to demonstrate their abilities and live safely, independently, and comfortably in their homes and communities. Conversely, AIP in an inappropriate manner, without a safe environment, and without support provided, comprising dangerous situations caused by declining cognitive and physical function, lead to reduced quality of life for older people. Therefore, this study aimed to examine cognitive function in the oldest-old to understand differences between normal aging and cognitive decline due to dementia. Cognitive decline due to normal aging in the oldest-old is caused by impaired frontal lobe function, while decline due to Alzheimer’s disease is caused by impaired temporal-parietal lobe function, suggesting that this impairment may be useful for achieving independence for AIP.