Background: Unmet care needs have been associated with an increased risk of depression in old age. Currently, the identification of profiles of met and unmet care needs associated with depressive symptoms is pending. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to identify profiles of care needs and analyze associated factors in oldestold patients with and without depression. Methods: The sample of 1092 GP patients aged 75+ years is based on the multicenter study "Late-life depression in primary care: needs, health care utilization and costs (AgeMooDe)". Depression (i.e. clinically meaningful depressive symptoms) was determined using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) (cutoff score >= 4). Needs of patients were assessed using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE). Associated sociodemographic and clinical factors were examined, and latent class analysis identified the need profiles. Results: The main result of the study indicates three need profiles: 'no needs', 'met physical needs', and 'unmet social needs'. Members of the 'met physical needs' (OR = 3.5, 95 %-CI: 2.5-4.9) and 'unmet social needs' (OR = 17.4, 95 %-CI: 7.7-39.7) profiles were significantly more likely to have depression compared to members of the 'no needs' profile. Limitations: Based on the cross-sectional design, no conclusions can be drawn about the causality or direction of the relationships between the variables. Conclusions: The study results provide important insights for the establishment of needs-based interventions for GPs. Particular attention should be paid to the presence of unmet social needs in the oldest-old GP patients with underlying depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND:In the future, an increase in health care needs in the elderly is expected. Reports on unmet care needs of the oldest old with cognitive disorders are pending. This study aims at exploring unmet needs in the oldest old primary care patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Furthermore, the association between sociodemographic and clinical factors and unmet needs ought to be analyzed.METHODS:Based on the study "Needs, Health Service Use, Costs and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Large Sample of Oldest-Old Primary Care Patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe), 749 patients (unimpaired, MCI, and dementia) aged 85 years and older, their relatives (n = 421), and general practitioners (GPs) (n = 607) were assessed. Descriptive, inferential, and regression analyses were run.RESULTS:Most unmet needs were observed in dementia patients, although needs were less frequently rated as unmet by dementia patients themselves as compared to relatives and GPs. Unmet needs were associated with MCI and dementia; other risk factors were age, education, and marital status.CONCLUSION:This study provides first data on unmet needs according to different perceptions in the elderly with MCI and dementia in Germany. Need assessments should be part of medical examinations to ensure a high-quality health care in the elderly.

Purpose The present study aimed to investigate age-group-specific incidence rates and risk factors for depressive symptoms in the highest age groups.Methods Data were derived from a prospective multicenter cohort study conducted in primary care - the AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe study. In total, 2,436 patients 75 years and older were followed from baseline to ninth follow-up. To assess depressive symptoms, the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15, cutoff score 6) was used. Age-specific competing risk regressions were performed to analyze risk factors for incident depressive symptoms in different age groups (75 to 79, 80 to 84, 85+ years), taking into account the accumulated mortality.Results The age-specific incidence rate of depression was 33 (95% CI 29-38), 46 (95% CI 40-52) and 63 (95% CI 45-87) per 1,000 person years for the initial age groups 75 to 79, 80 to 84 and 85+ years, respectively. In competing risk regression models, female sex, mobility as well as vision impairment, and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) were found to be risk factors for incident depression for age group 75 to 79, female sex, single/separated marital status, mobility as well as hearing impairment, and SCD for age group 80 to 84, and mobility impairment for age group 85+.Conclusion Depressive symptoms in latest life are common and the incidence increases with increasing age. Modifiable and differing risk factors across the highest age groups open up the possibility of specifically tailored prevention concepts.

Purpose To examine the association of sociodemographic and health-related determinants with social isolation in relation to family and friends in the oldest-old. Methods Database was the multi-center prospective AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe cohort study assessed at follow-up wave 5 ( N = 1148; mean age 86.6 years (SD 3.0); 67% female). Social isolation was assessed using the short form of the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6). The LSNS-6 contains two sets of items establishing psychometrically separable subscales for isolation from family and friends (ranges 0–15 points), with lower scores indicating higher isolation. Cross-sectional linear (OLS) regression analyses were used to examine multivariate associations of sociodemographic and health-related determinants with social isolation from family and friends. Results Overall, n = 395 participants (34.6%) were considered socially isolated. On average, isolation was higher from friends (mean 6.0, SD 3.8) than from family (mean 8.0, SD 3.5). Regression results revealed that in relation to family, males were more socially isolated than females (β = − 0.68, 95% CI − 1.08, − 0.28). Concerning friends, increased age led to more isolation (β = − 0.12, 95% CI − 0.19, − 0.05) and functional activities of daily living to less isolation (β = 0.36, 95% CI 0.09, 0.64). Independent of the social context, depression severity was associated with more social isolation, whereas cognitive functioning was associated with less social isolation. Conclusions Different determinants unequally affect social isolation in relation to family and friends. The context of the social network should be incorporated more strongly regarding the detection and prevention of social isolation to sustain mental and physical health.

BACKGROUND:Subjective memory complaints and family history of dementia are possibly intertwined risk factors for the own subsequent dementia risk and Alzheimer's disease. However, their interaction has rarely been studied.OBJECTIVE:To study the association between subjective memory complaints and family history of dementia with regard to the own subsequent risk of dementia.METHODS:Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses over a follow-up period of up to 13 years were conducted in a population sample of participants without dementia at baseline (n = 3,256, mean age = 79.62 years), using group comparisons and Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTS:Cross-sectionally, participants with subjective memory complaints were significantly more likely to report family history of dementia. Longitudinally, family history of dementia (FH) was significantly associated with subsequent dementia in the subjective memory complaints (SMC) group, but not in those without SMC. A relative excess risk due to interaction analysis confirmed a significant FHxSMC-interaction.CONCLUSIONS:Family history of dementia was a predictor of incident dementia in those with SMC, which can serve as an additional, clinically relevant criterion to gauge the risk of dementia in older-aged subjects with SMC with and without objective cognitive impairment.

Purpose The present study aims to investigate the prospective effect of depressive symptoms on overall QoL in the oldest age group, taking into account its different facets. Methods Data were derived from the multicenter prospective AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe cohort study, including data from follow-up 7–9 and n = 580 individuals 85 years of age and older. Overall QoL and its facets were assessed using the WHOQOL-OLD instrument. The short form of the geriatric depression scale ( GDS-15 ) was applied to assess depressive symptoms. Cognitively impaired individuals were excluded. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the effect of depressive symptoms on QoL. Results Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with overall QoL and each of the different facets of WHOQOL-OLD, also after adjustment for time and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, education, marital status, living situation, and cognitive status. Higher age and single as well as divorced marital status were also associated with a lower QoL. Conclusion This work provides comprehensive longitudinal results on the relationship between depressive symptoms and QoL in the oldest age population. The results underscore the relevance of tailored and targeted care planning and the development of customized interventions.

Objective Since there is a lack of longitudinal studies in this area, our aim was to identify the determinants of persistent frequent attendance in primary care among the oldest old in Germany. Methods Longitudinal data (follow-up wave 7–9) were taken from the multicenter prospective cohort “Study on needs, health service use, costs, and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)” (AgeQualiDe), covering primary care patients ≥ 85 years (FU7 n = 741, mean age 88.9 years (SD 2.9; 85–100)). Persistent frequent attenders of general practitioner (GP) services (the patients in the top decile of the number of GP consultations in two or more consecutive waves) were our main outcome of interest. Logistic random-effects models were used. Results Our analysis included 1,891 observations (766 individuals). Across three waves, we identified 56 persistent frequent attenders. Results of random-effects logistic regressions showed that the odds of being persistent frequent attender were higher for widowed individuals (OR = 4.57; 95% CI [1.07–19.45]). Moreover, a one-point increase in the frailty score and having one more chronic condition increased the odds of being a persistent frequent attender by 68% (OR =1.68; 95% CI [1.05–2.69]) and 23% (OR=1.23, 95% CI [1.05–1.44]), respectively. Conclusion Our study stressed the longitudinal association between frailty and widowhood as well as chronic diseases and persistent frequent attendance among the oldest old in Germany.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal impact of depressive symptoms on utilization of healthcare in terms of GP visits as well as specialist visits and hospital admission in late life among community-dwelling individuals.MethodsLongitudinal data (baseline and follow-up) were derived from the German multicentre, prospective cohort study “Late-life depression in primary care: needs, health care utilization and costs” study (AgeMooDe). At baseline, n = 1,230 patients aged 75 years and older were recruited from primary care practices. Main outcomes of interest were use of health care services: the number of GP visits, the number of medical specialist visits, and hospital admission. We used the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) to measure depression. Outcomes were analyzed with multilevel random intercept negative binominal regression and logistic random-effects models.ResultsAt baseline (n = 1,191), mean age was 80.7 (SD 4.6) years, 62.9% were female, and 196 individuals (16.5%) had depression (GDS-15 ≥6). Our longitudinal analyses indicated that older individuals with more depressive symptoms visited their GP more often (IRR=1.03; CI [1.01-1.04], p < 0.001), were visiting medical specialists more frequently (IRR=1.03; CI [1.01-1.04], p < 0.01), and had higher odds of being hospitalized (OR=1.08; CI [1.02-1.13], p < 0.01).ConclusionsBased on this large longitudinal study we showed that, after adjustment for important covariates, older individuals with more depressive symptoms had higher health care utilization over time. They visited their GP and specialists more frequently and they had higher odds of being hospitalized. This may suggest that higher utilization of specialist care and increased likelihood of being hospitalized may be also attributable to unspecific symptoms or symptoms that are elevated through depressive symptoms.

Purpose Social isolation is considered a risk factor for dementia. However, less is known about social isolation and dementia with respect to competing risk of death, particularly in the oldest-old, who are at highest risk for social isolation, dementia and mortality. Therefore, we aimed to examine these associations in a sample of oldest-old individuals. Methods Analyses were based on follow-up (FU) 5–9 of the longitudinal German study AgeCoDe/AgeQualiDe. Social isolation was assessed using the short form of the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), with a score ≤ 12 indicating social isolation. Structured interviews were used to identify dementia cases. Competing risk analysis based on the Fine-Gray model was conducted to test the association between social isolation and incident dementia. Results Excluding participants with prevalent dementia, n = 1,161 individuals were included. Their mean age was 86.6 (SD = 3.1) years and 67.0% were female. The prevalence of social isolation was 34.7% at FU 5, 9.7% developed dementia and 36.0% died during a mean FU time of 4.3 (SD = 0.4) years. Adjusting for covariates and cumulative mortality risk, social isolation was not significantly associated with incident dementia; neither in the total sample (sHR: 1.07, 95%CI 0.65-1.76, p = 0.80), nor if stratified by sex (men: sHR: 0.71, 95%CI 0.28-1.83, p = 0.48; women: sHR: 1.39, 95%CI 0.77-2.51, p = 0.27). Conclusion In contrast to the findings of previous studies, we did not find an association between social isolation and incident dementia in the oldest-old. However, our analysis took into account the competing risk of death and the FU period was rather short. Future studies, especially with longer FU periods and more comprehensive assessment of qualitative social network characteristics (e.g., loneliness and satisfaction with social relationships) may be useful for clarification.

IntroductionSeveral lifestyle factors promote protection against Alzheimer's disease (AD) throughout a person's lifespan. Although such protective effects have been described for occupational cognitive requirements (OCR) in midlife, it is currently unknown whether they are conveyed by brain maintenance (BM), brain reserve (BR), or cognitive reserve (CR) or a combination of them.MethodsWe systematically derived hypotheses for these resilience concepts and tested them in the population-based AgeCoDe cohort and memory clinic-based AD high-risk DELCODE study. The OCR score (OCRS) was measured using job activities based on the O*NET occupational classification system. Four sets of analyses were conducted: (1) the interaction of OCR and APOE-ε4 with regard to cognitive decline (N = 2,369, AgeCoDe), (2) association with differentially shaped retrospective trajectories before the onset of dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT; N = 474, AgeCoDe), (3) cross-sectional interaction of the OCR and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers and brain structural measures regarding memory function (N = 873, DELCODE), and (4) cross-sectional and longitudinal association of OCR with CSF AD biomarkers and brain structural measures (N = 873, DELCODE).ResultsRegarding (1), higher OCRS was associated with a reduced association of APOE-ε4 with cognitive decline (mean follow-up = 6.03 years), consistent with CR and BR. Regarding (2), high OCRS was associated with a later onset but subsequently stronger cognitive decline in individuals converting to DAT, consistent with CR. Regarding (3), higher OCRS was associated with a weaker association of the CSF Aβ42/40 ratio and hippocampal volume with memory function, consistent with CR. Regarding (4), OCR was not associated with the levels or changes in CSF AD biomarkers (mean follow-up = 2.61 years). We found a cross-sectional, age-independent association of OCRS with some MRI markers, but no association with 1-year-change. OCR was not associated with the intracranial volume. These results are not completely consistent with those of BR or BM.DiscussionOur results support the link between OCR and CR. Promoting and seeking complex and stimulating work conditions in midlife could therefore contribute to increased resistance to pathologies in old age and might complement prevention measures aimed at reducing pathology.

AimThe aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of and the gender differences in the use of professional home care in Germany.MethodsWe used harmonized data from three large cohort studies from Germany (“Healthy Aging: Gender-specific trajectories into the latest life”; AgeDifferent.de Platform). Data were available for 5,393 older individuals (75 years and older). Mean age was 80.2 years (SD: 4.1 years), 66.6% were female. Professional homecare outcome variables were use of outpatient nursing care, paid household assistance, and meals on wheels' services. Logistic regression models were used, adjusting for important sociodemographic variables.ResultsAltogether 5.2% of older individuals used outpatient nursing care (6.2% women and 3.2% men; p < 0.001), 24.2% used paid household assistance (26.1% women and 20.5% men; p < 0.001) and 4.4% used meals on wheels' services (4.5% women and 4.0% men; p = 0.49). Regression analysis revealed that women had higher odds of using paid household assistance than men (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: [1.24–1.76]; p < 0.001), whereas they had lower odds of using meals on wheels' services (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: [0.42–0.97]; p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences in using outpatient nursing care between women and men were found (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: [0.87–1.81]; p = 0.225). Further, the use of home care was mainly associated with health-related variables (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease) and walking impairments.ConclusionsOur study showed that gender differences exist in using paid household assistance and in culinary dependency. For example, meals on wheels' services are of great importance (e.g., for individuals living alone or for individuals with low social support). Gender differences were not identified regarding outpatient nursing care. Use of professional home care services may contribute to maintaining autonomy and independence in old age.

Introduction: Only a few studies have investigated incidence and risk factors of depression in the highest age groups. This study aims to determine incidence rates as well as risk factors of incident depressive symptoms in latest life, adjusting for the competing event of mortality.& nbsp;Methods: Data of a prospective, longitudinal, multi-centered cohort study conducted in primary care - the AgeCoDe-/AgeQualiDe study. 2436 GP patients aged 75+ years were assessed from baseline to sixth follow-up every 18 months and from seventh to ninth follow-up every 10 months. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (cut-off >= 6). Competing risk regression models were used to assess determinants of incident depressive symptoms, taking care of accumulated mortality.& nbsp;Results: The incidence of depressive symptoms was 39 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 36-42; last observed exit 13.26 person-years at risk). In a competing risk regression model, female sex, unmarried family status, subjective cognitive decline as well as vision and mobility impairment were significant risk factors of incident depression. Limitations: Excluding individuals with a lack of ability to provide informed consent at baseline may have influenced the incidence of depression. Depressive symptoms were not assessed by DSM criteria. Furthermore, in studies with voluntary participation, participation bias can never be completely avoided.& nbsp;Conclusion: Findings provide a better understanding of risk and protective factors of depressive symptoms in the oldest age taking mortality as a competing event into account. Addressing this aspect in future research may yield new insights in that research field.

BackgroundIncreasingly more very old people are active drivers. Sensory, motor and cognitive limitations, and medication can increase safety risks. Timely attention to driving safety in the patient–doctor relationship can promote patient-centred solutions.AimTo explore the following questions: do GPs know which patients drive a car? Is fitness to drive addressed with patients?Design & settingCross-sectional data from patient interviews and GP survey in the ninth follow-up phase of a prospective primary care cohort (the German Study on Ageing, Cognition and Dementia in Primary Care Patients (AgeCoDe) and the Study on Needs, Health Service Use, Costs and Health-Related Quality of Life in a large sample of ‘oldest-old’ primary care patients (≥85 years; AgeQualiDe)) .MethodThe sample consisted of patients in the age group ≥85 years and their GPs. Independent reports were gathered on driving activity from the GP and the patient, and information was gained from GPs on whether driving ability was discussed with the patient. Statistical analyses included validity parameters and bivariate characterisation of subgroups (non-parametric significance tests, effect size).ResultsSelf-reports of 553 patients were available (69.5% female; mean age 90.5 years; 15.9% drive a car). For 427 patients, GP data were also available: GPs recognised 67.1% correctly as drivers and 94.9% as non-drivers. GPs said that they had discussed fitness to drive with 32.1% of potentially driving patients. Among drivers who were not recognised and with whom driving had not been discussed, there were more patients with a low educational level.ConclusionThe GP’s assessment of driving activity among very old patients showed moderate sensitivity and good specificity. Driving ability was seldom discussed. Asking an appropriate question during assessment could increase GPs’ awareness of older patients’ automobility.

Purpose: To investigate the association between health-related quality of life and ego integrity among the oldest old. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional data were taken from follow-up wave 9 of the multicenter prospective cohort study "Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)" (AgeQualiDe). Our analytical sample comprised n = 495 observations. Mean age was 90.2 years (SD: 2.7 years). Health-related quality of life was quantified using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire (including the visual analogue scale EQ-VAS). Ego integrity was measured using the Ego Integrity Scale. Results: Regressions showed an association between decreased ego integrity and problems with 'usual activities', 'pain/discomfort' and 'anxiety/depression'. Furthermore, regressions showed a marginally significant association between decreased ego integrity and problems with 'mobility' and a decreased EQ-VAS score. Ego integrity was not significantly associated with problems with 'self-care'. Conclusions: Findings stress the importance of health-related quality of life for ego integrity among the oldest old. Future studies are required to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Introduction: There is a lack of studies examining the link between perceived autonomy and frailty among the oldest old. Therefore, our objective was to fill this gap. Methods: Data were used from the multicenter prospective cohort study “Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85+)” (AgeQualiDe; follow-up [FU] wave 9; n = 510 observations in the analytical sample). The average age was 90.3 years (SD: 2.7 years). The Canadian Study of Health and Aging (CSHA) Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was used to assess frailty. Socioeconomic and health-related covariates were included in our regression model. The autonomy scale developed by Schwarzer was used to assess perceived autonomy in old age. Results: Adjusting for various confounders, multiple linear regressions showed that lower perceived autonomy was associated with increased levels of frailty (total sample: β = −0.13, p < 0.001; women: β = −0.14, p < 0.001; and men: β = −0.12, p < 0.001). Furthermore, lower perceived autonomy was associated with more depressive symptoms, higher cognitive impairment, and being institutionalized (except for men) in the total sample and in both sexes, but it was not significantly associated with age, sex, marital status, educational level, and social support. Conclusion: Findings indicate that frailty is associated with lower autonomy among the oldest old. More generally, while health-related factors were consistently associated with autonomy, sociodemographic factors (except for being institutionalized) were not associated with autonomy among the oldest old. We should be aware of the strong association between autonomy and physical as well as mental health in very old age.

Background: Dementia is a major economic challenge for societies worldwide. One approach of cost-of-illness studies focuses on the excess costs of people with dementia compared to costs in people without dementia. Yet, excess costs of dementia have rarely been examined. Objective: To contribute to the existing evidence on excess costs of dementia by adding information regarding the oldest-old. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the AgeQualiDe study. This multicenter cohort study considers exclusively participants with a minimum age of 85 years. We included 856 primary care patients with (n = 154) and without (n = 702) dementia into the analysis. By using the reweighting method of entropy balancing, excess costs from the societal perspective were estimated as mean cost differences between both groups for each cost category of different healthcare sectors. Results: In our primary analysis, total costs were 2.5 times higher for people with dementia (n = 154) compared with people without dementia (n = 702). People with dementia showed significant total excess costs of euro 11,789 (95% CI euro 8,343-15,234) compared with people without the disease in a 6-month period. Excess costs of informal care represented the highest cost category in both primary and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Our results emphasize the economic and practical value of informal carers in dementia care, as it is generally unpaid care provision saving expenditures for formal care. Health policy strategies are needed to foster community-based dementia care in order to relieve social security systems and to support informal carers of people with dementia.

BACKGROUND:The proportion of older adults is increasing due to demographic changes. Depression belongs to the most common mental disorders in late life. The loss of an emotionally significant person is a risk factor for the development of depression. The aim of this study is to analyze the association between depression and grief burden resulting from loss. Based on prior evidence, we examined loneliness as a possible mediator and social support as possible moderator of this association. METHODS:The cross-sectional analyses are based on a sample (N = 863) of study participants aged 75+ (M = 81.4 years, SD = 4.4, 62.2% female) with loss experience deriving from the multicenter prospective German cohort study AgeMooDe. Regression analyses (moderated mediation) were performed. RESULTS:With increasing age (β = 0.10, p = .005) and grief burden (β = 0.33, p <. 001) depression severity increased. There was an indirect mediating effect of loneliness on the correlation of grief burden and depression (b = 0.04, CI [0.03, 0.05]), but no moderating effect of social support on the correlation of grief burden and loneliness. People living alone had a significantly higher risk of depression, increased loneliness and lack of social support. LIMITATIONS:Assessments were based on self-reporting and recorded dimensionally. The cross-sectional design limits conclusions about directions and causality of associations. Sampling bias cannot be completely excluded. CONCLUSION:The study provides empirical evidence and a better understanding of the association between grief and depression among the very old and the mediating role of loneliness.

Widowhood is common in old age, can be accompanied by serious health consequences and is often linked to substantial changes in social network. Little is known about the impact of social isolation on the development of depressive symptoms over time taking widowhood into account. We provide results from the follow-up 5 to follow-up 9 from the longitudinal study AgeCoDe and its follow-up study AgeQualiDe. Depression was measured with GDS-15 and social isolation was assessed using the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6). The group was aligned of married and widowed people in old age and education through entropy balancing. Linear mixed models were used to examine the frequency of occurrence of depressive symptoms for widowed and married elderly people depending on the risk of social isolation. Our study shows that widowhood alone does not lead to an increased occurrence of depressive symptoms. However, "widowed oldest old", who are also at risk of social isolation, have significantly more depressive symptoms than those without risk. In the group of "married oldest old", women have significantly more depressive symptoms than men, but isolated and non-isolated do not differ. Especially for people who have lost a spouse, the social network changes significantly and increases the risk for social isolation. This represents a risk factor for the occurrence of depressive symptoms.

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal within-association between social support and health-related quality of life among the oldest old. Methods Longitudinal data (follow-up waves 7 to 9) were used from the multicenter prospective cohort study “Needs, health service use, costs and health-related quality of life in a large sample of oldest-old primary care patients (85 +)” (AgeQualiDe). n = 648 individuals were included in the analytical sample. At FU wave 7, mean age was 88.8 years (SD: 2.9 years, from 85 to 99 years). Social support was quantified using the Lubben Social Network Scale (6-item version). Health-related quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L including problems in five health dimensions, and its visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). It was adjusted for several covariates in conditional logistic and linear fixed effects regressions. Results Intraindividual decreases in social support were associated with an increased likelihood of developing problems in ‘self-care’, ‘usual activities’, ‘pain/discomfort’ and ‘anxiety/depression’ (within individuals over time). In contrast, intraindividual changes in social support were not associated with intraindividual changes in the EQ VAS score. Conclusion Findings indicate a longitudinal intraindividual association between social support and problems, but only in some health dimensions. Further research in this area based on longitudinal studies among the oldest old (from different countries) is required.

Research on anxiety in oldest-old individuals is scarce. Specifically, incidence studies based on large community samples are lacking. The objective of this study is to assess age- and gender-specific incidence rates in a large sample of oldest-old individuals and to identify potential risk factors. The study included data from N = 702 adults aged 81 to 97 years. Anxiety symptoms were identified using the short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI-SF). Associations of potential risk factors with anxiety incidence were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models. Out of the N = 702 older adults, N = 77 individuals developed anxiety symptoms during the follow-up period. The incidence rate was 51.3 (95% CI: 41.2–64.1) per 1000 person-years in the overall sample, compared to 58.5 (95% CI: 43.2–72.4) in women and 37.3 (95% CI: 23.6–58.3) in men. Multivariable analysis showed an association of subjective memory complaints (HR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.16–3.57) and depressive symptoms (HR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.46–7.01) with incident anxiety in the follow-up. Incident anxiety is highly common in late life. Depressive symptoms and subjective memory complaints are major risk factors of new episodes. Incident anxiety appears to be a response to subjective memory complaints independent of depressive symptoms.