An elderly couple meets through a glass partition at a convalescent hospital in Muan, southwestern South Korea, on March 8, 2021, after the facility permitted non-contact visits. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Seniors excluded from sufficient psychological support like empathy and understanding from others are more likely to suffer from dementia, a study revealed Monday.
A joint research team from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Kangbuk Samsung Hospital studied 5,852 seniors over 60 years of age for eight years.
The research team looked at the effect of “emotional support” from others and “material support” like helping out with chores, dining, medical treatment and travel on the risk of dementia.
The results showed that only 9 in 1,000 seniors with adequate emotional support developed dementia each year, compared to 15.1 in 1,000 seniors without sufficient emotional support.
Material support did not have any meaningful correlation with the risk of dementia.
Female seniors without emotional support were 61 percent more likely to contract dementia with a 66 percent higher risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.
Male seniors without emotional support were 25 percent more likely to contract dementia, relatively lower than female seniors.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
