People with dementia are almost twice as likely to move following receipt of the diagnosis compared with individuals receiving diagnoses of other serious illnesses, according to the results of a new study.
The study, led by researchers from Brown University, looked at the residences of more than 1 million Medicare beneficiaries between 2012 and 2020, focusing on those who had received diagnoses of dementia, myocardial infarction (heart attack), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or colon cancer in 2016. Their findings were published this week in JAMA Network Open.
The study found that people with cognitive difficulties were twice as likely to move than those receiving diagnoses of the other serious illnesses. The highest percentage moved to a community setting — 29% of individuals in the study in whom dementia was diagnosed moved in with their children, according to the study. The results underscore the need to understand the factors associated with a decision to move, because the study did not examine the reasons that people moved, according to the authors.
“One possible explanation is that individuals with dementia and their caregivers may choose to move closer to family or informal caregivers, either with independent housing arrangements or entering formal long-term care services such as assisted living communities and nursing homes,” the authors wrote.
Twenty-two percent of people in the study who received a dementia diagnosis moved to a different county within four years of the diagnosis, 22%, a 40% jump in relocations compared with those in whom other conditions had been diagnosed.
Moving to a different county, the investigators noted, may mean leaving behind familiar healthcare practitioners, friends, family and other forms of community support. And moving to a different state subjects individuals to different long-term care policies and Medicaid programs, further underscoring the importance of geographic transitions, they wrote.
“Our findings illuminate the profound impact that a dementia diagnosis can have on an individual’s residential choices, challenging traditional conceptions of aging in place and adding depth to our understanding of the interplay between health and migration,” researchers said.
The data, they added, could have implications for aging populations.
“As the global population ages and dementia prevalence increases, it becomes crucial for policymakers and communities to recognize and address the unique migration patterns and needs of individuals with this life-altering condition,” the investigators wrote.
