A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has linked hospitalization for acute care or a critical illness to declining cognitive function in older adults.

Researchers from the University of Washington at Seattle analyzed data from a study that was conducting cognitive testing on older adults, and examined administrative data from hospitalizations to determine whether hospitalizations for acute illness or critical illness were associated with cognitive decline and dementia.

The study included data on 2,929 individuals 65 years old and older without dementia at the beginning of the study. Cognition was measured with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) every two years at follow-up visits, and those with scores below a certain point underwent a clinical examination for dementia.

They found that individuals who were hospitalized for non-critical illnesses were significantly more likely to suffer from dementia. In addition, they found that patients who had a hospitalization for an acute care or critical illness had lower CASI scores during follow-up tests compared to those who were not hospitalized.

Activities such as reading, playing board games, social networking, and physical activity such as walking and routine exercising are believed to help prevent cognitive decline.

Nutritional supplements that are believed to help boost cognitive function include coenzyme-Q10, gingko biloba, coral calcium, huperzine A and omega-3 fatty acids.