Background/aims: While cognitive impairment (CI) and dementia are among the most common morbid conditions in later life, life expectancies free from CI or dementia have been the object of much less investigation than life expectancy based on measures of physical functioning.
Methods: We estimated sex-specific CI-free life expectancy in Canada for people aged 65 and older using data from a nationwide, multicenter Canadian study on the epidemiology of dementia.
Results: The absolute number of years with CI remains virtually constant with increasing age. Whatever the current age, senior men can expect to live 2.5-3 years of their remaining life with some form of CI and about 1.5 years of those with dementia. For women, these figures rise to 3-4 years with CI, of which 2-2.5 years are spent with dementia.
Conclusion: Surviving to an older age does not result in a longer average absolute period of CI. This period is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life, the use of home and institutional services, as well as psychological and physical distress for formal and informal caregivers. Results are compared to findings reported in other countries.
Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.