Predictive factors for dementia and cognitive impairment among residents living in the veterans’ retirement communities in Taiwan: Implications for cognitive health promotion activities

Aim To identify potentially modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline among veterans’ home residents in Taiwan Methods The present retrospective cohort study was part of the Veteran Affairs‐Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment study that retrieved data of the comprehensive geriatric assessment for 946 residents living at four veterans’ homes in Taiwan. The study participants were interviewed every 3–6 months from January 2012 and December 2014. Demographic characteristics,multimorbidity by Charlson's Comorbidities Index, physical function by the Barthel Index, cognition by the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), depression by the five‐item Geriatric Depression Scale and nutritional status by the Mini‐Nutrition Assessment‐Short Form were collected for analysis. A generalized estimating equation model was used after it was adjusted for age, educational level, five‐item Geriatric Depression Scale, and problem of communication difficulty to identify potential modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline. Results The mean age of the participants was 85.7 ± 5.2 years, with a mean follow‐up period of 41 ± 21.6 weeks. The prevalence of cognitive impairment (defined by MMSE