title: Changes in cognitive functioning of the oldest old.
abstract: Cognitive changes during a 2-year interval in a representative sample of the oldest old were investigated. Respondents were 324 people aged 84 to 90 at baseline who were selected from census records in the Jönköping region of Sweden. Following a 2-year interval, it was possible to reinterview 213 people, or 94% of individuals, still alive. Performance on a battery of five cognitive tests showed a small decline in mean scores, and a 10% increase in the number of people meeting criteria for significant cognitive impairment. Respondents with better functioning at baseline tended to have stable performance over this period.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Gerontology, Jönköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zarit
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory