Association of home and community-based services and cognitive function of Chinese older adults: social participation as a mediator

Abstract

Background This study makes an effort to examine the impact of home and community-based services on maintaining cognitive function and understand the mediating effect of social participation on the relationship of community services and older adults’ cognitive function in China. Method The empirical data comes from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). A total of 38,582 (person-time) respondents were gathered for this study. The two-way fixed effects regression model is used to estimate the associations between independent variables, mediating variables and cognitive ability after controlling for socio-demographic, family responsibility, and time variables. Result This study has confirmed that participating in daily and social activities is associated with the cognitive functions of Chinese older adults. Social participation can stimulate cognition. Active participation in outdoor activities, doing housework or taking care of kids, daily playing cards or mah-jong, reading books and newspapers, watching TV, and listening to the radio can significantly promote the cognitive ability of older adults. In addition, the findings have indicated the importance of community services for older adults. This study shows personal daily care services, legal aid services, health education services, as well as dealing with family and neighborhood disputes have a positive effect on maintaining older adults’ cognitive functions. Meanwhile, the provision of door-to-door medical services hurts their cognitive functions. This study also illustrates that community-based services can increase the level of older adults’ social participation, and then enhance their level of cognitive function. Conclusion This study can inform service provision agencies to develop targeted programs to support older adults’ continued engagement.

Association between daily activities and cognitive impairment among elderly adults with depression: A nomogram prediction model

“…This study has also con rmed that joining in daily activities is highly associated with cognitive functions of elderly depressed patients. This result is similar to the nds of Lin (12) and Devita (22). There is increasing evidence that participation in cognitively stimulating leisure activities may contribute to a reduction of the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in later life (23).…”

“…This survey, which spans 23 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China, is aimed at seniors aged 65 and up, as well as their adult children aged 35-64 (12). The initial survey was conducted in 1998, and the follow-up survey was conducted in 2000,2002,2005,2008,2011,2014 and 2018.…”

“…Previous literatures have proved that exposure to certain behaviors may have an impact on health outcomes(8-10). Besides, social participation improves the functioning ability of older persons, including morbidities, mortality, cognitive function, and quality of life (11,12), such as doing housework, watching TV, listening to the radio, reading newspaper and so on.…”

“…To summarize, existing researches support the bene cial effect of physical activity on age-related cognitive decline. Although Chinese researches has explored different social engagement among elderly adults, the effect varies based on the activity engagement component (12).…”

The Relationship between Social Participation and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Activities of Daily Living

“…This may be because it can help older adults relax their body and mind, enhance their sense of control over life, and reduce the probability of cognitive impairment. For example, "watching TV or listening to radio" can serve as an important way for older adults to obtain various types of information, helping them improve their lifestyle, enhance their understanding and knowledge reserves, thereby promoting the development and maintenance of cognitive abilities (Lin et al, 2023) [39]. Household labor-type social participation also has been found to positively affect the cognitive function of the older adults.…”