In a new study from the University of Adelaide, researchers found that people living in larger households are at reduced risk of dying from dementia and could stave off the progression of the disease for longer.
They looked at variables in living standards and conditions for people aged over 60 years from more than 180 countries around the world, to measure the significance of factors such as GDP, urbanization, age, and household size.
They found that people living in larger households or with families fared better than those living alone.
The team says the correlation between household size and reduced risk of the worst impacts of dementia is quite strong.
Dementia is one of the biggest challenges for the health sector in the 21st century.
The team says humans have evolved to live in families and communities.
There are some very practical benefits to living with family or other household residents.
There are usually regular mealtimes, there is a conversation, people to check to see if you have taken your medications, and family members encouraging regular activity
That engagement, when it is positive, stimulates the production of oxytocin, often dubbed the happiness hormone, and that has been shown to have a positive effect on physiological wellbeing by protecting cardio-vascular systems associated with vascular dementia and may exert a beneficial slow-down on dementia development.
While the research does not show a causal link between the incidence of death from dementia and household size, it is clear living in large households is significantly protective against dementia mortality in terms of dementia initiation and deterioration of dementia patients.
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The study is published in PLOS ONE and was conducted by Wenpeng You et al.
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