AARP Research Insights on Brain Health

AARP Research on brain health highlights U.S. adults' experiences with and feelings about dementia, delirium, hearing and brain health, traumatic brain injury, music and brain health, mental health, and maintaining a healthy brain.

DEMENTIA

Stress is all-too-common among midlife and older adults.

• Stress is all-too-common among midlife and older adults.Overall, more than one-quarter (27%) of adults 40 and over report high stress. Those in their 40s were more likely (38%) to be highly stressed than those in their 50s (33%) as well as those in their 60s (18%) and those over 70 (13%). More women than men 40-plus report high stress (30% vs. 24%). [Source: Midlife and Older Adults’ Health Study, fielded November 2020.] 

Staying mentally sharp is a common aim.

• More than nine in ten (92%) U.S. adults 45 and over said that remaining mentally sharp is extremely or very important to them. [Source: Vital Voices: Issues that Impact U.S. Adults Ages 45 and Older, fielded October 2022.]

Adults 40 and over and health care providers agree that a healthy lifestyle is important for brain health.

• Seven in ten (71%) adults ages 40-plus say they would be extremely or very likely to engage in mentally stimulating activities if they knew the activity might help them maintain their mental functioning; nine in ten (91%) health care provider think such activities would help with symptoms of dementia.
  
  
• Seven in ten (69%) adults ages 40 and over report that they would be extremely or very likely to eat a proper diet if they knew it would assist with mental functioning; nearly eight in ten (78%) health care providers believe eating a proper diet would help with symptoms of dementia.
  
  
• Similarly, seven in ten (69%) adults 40-plus report that they would be extremely or very likely to get enough sleep if they knew it would assist with mental functioning; nearly eight in ten (78%) health care providers believe getting enough sleep would help with symptoms of dementia.
  
  
• Six in ten (60%) adults ages 40 and over report that they would be extremely or very likely to get regular exercise if they knew it would assist with mental functioning; more than nine in ten (92%) health care providers think getting regular exercise would help with symptoms of dementia.  

[Sources: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Attitudes Among Healthcare Providers, fielded March 11–17, 2021, and 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Ages 40+, fielded March 12–24, 2021.] 

Fear, confusion, and false information often cloud the truth about dementia.

• Half (48%) of adults ages 40-plus think it is likely that they will get dementia — far more than those who actually will. [Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Ages 40+, fielded March 12–24, 2021.]
  
  
• Nearly half (47%) of adults ages 40 and over say they don’t know if there are treatments available for dementia, while three in ten (29%) agree there are no treatments available.[Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Ages 40+, fielded March 12–24, 2021.]
  
  
• Adult’s biggest fear related to dementia is losing driving and other privileges, with seven in ten (70%) adults ages 40-plus agreeing. Somewhat fewer agree that they are afraid they would need to live in a nursing home if they had dementia (55%), would be unable to get health insurance (39%), or would lose their home (33%). [Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Ages 40+, fielded March 12–24, 2021.]

Health care providers have misperceptions of how adults ages 40 and over perceive dementia.

• Nine in ten (91%) older adults said they want their health care provider to tell them about a dementia diagnosis, but only about eight in ten (78%) providers said they always tell their patients the truth.
  
  
• Roughly seven in ten (69%) health care providers said their patients would feel ashamed or embarrassed if they had dementia, yet only one-fifth (19%) of adults ages 40-plus said they would feel that way.
  
  
• Three-quarters (74%) of health care providers believe that their patients would like a baseline cognitive evaluation, while about half (54%) of adults said the same thing.

[Sources: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Attitudes Among Healthcare Providers, fielded March 11–17, 2021,  and 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Ages 40+, fielded March 12–24, 2021.]

Perceptions about dementia don't match reality.

• Nearly half (48%) of U.S. adults believe they will likely have dementia — a figure which is much higher than the dementia prevalence measure of 13.9% cited by the National Institute of Aging. [Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Age 40-Plus, fielded March 2021.]
  

• Health care providers substantially overestimate the worry that they believe adults ages 40 and older would have if they had dementia.  Seven in 10 (69%) health care providers believe that their patients would feel ashamed or embarrassed if they were to have dementia, but only one-fifth (19%) of U.S. adults say they would feel that way. [Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Age 40-Plus, fielded March 2021.] 

Stigma often surrounds dementia or cognitive impairment.

• Fears over loss of independence, emotional and financial suffering, and perception of how individuals with dementia or cognitive impairment are treated feed many of the stigmas around dementia. The biggest fear that adults 40 and older have about dementia is the loss of driving privileges. Yet, despite the concern, roughly eight in ten adults in the same age group would want to know if they had dementia (81%) and would want their family to know as well (77%). [Source: 2021 AARP Survey on the Perceptions Related to a Dementia Diagnosis: Adults Age 40-Plus, fielded March 2021.]

But societal stigma appears to be decreasing for certain brain health conditions.

• Fewer than half of adults ages 40 and older believe that people with cognitive impairment (47%), dementia (44%), and Alzheimer’s disease (41%) are judged negatively by society. For both cognitive impairment (dropping from 62% to 47%) and Alzheimer’s disease (dropping from 56% to 41%), the perception that individuals with the conditions are judged negatively by society has declined notably since 2021. [Source: Social Stigma and Health Conditions: A Survey Among Adults 40+, fielded May 2023.]

 

DELIRIUM

Healthcare professionals are familiar with delirium, but midlife and older adults are not. 

• Seven in ten (or more) healthcare providers say they are extremely/very familiar with symptoms of delirium, including patients saying things that do not make sense (76%), confusion about daily events (76%), and difficulty understanding what is happening (76%). [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Healthcare Providers, fielded November 17–23, 2019.] 
  
  
• Only about a quarter (21%) of adults 50 and over are at least somewhat familiar with delirium and more than half (52%) are not at all familiar with delirium. [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Healthcare Providers, fielded November 17–23, 2019.]

Delirium is uncommon but challenging.

• Most midlife and older adults lack exposure to delirium, with over one in twenty adults ages 50 and older (7%) saying they have experienced delirium and one in five (20%) witnessing a loved one or friend experience delirium. Difficulty understanding what was happening (45%) and incoherence (43%) were the top delirium symptoms experienced by adults [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Adults Ages 50+, fielded November 17–23, 2019.]
  
  
• Most health care providers say at least a quarter of their patients across all ages groups have experienced delirium. One in five (21%) say at least a quarter of their patients have experienced long-term effects of delirium. [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Healthcare Providers, fielded November 17–23, 2019.]

Patient comfort factors are cited most often as an effective strategy to prevent or treat delirium.

• Nearly all health care providers believe having a loved one or friend stay at the hospital as much as possible is an effective way to prevent or treat delirium along with bringing eye glasses and hearing aids to the hospital. [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Healthcare Providers, fielded November 17–23, 2019.] 
  
  
• Similarly, the most common strategy to manage or treat an episode of delirium cited by adults 50 and older who experienced or witnessed delirium was for someone familiar to the patient to stay with them as much as possible. [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Adults Ages 50+, fielded November 17–23, 2019.]
  

Delirium can be a frightening experience.

• Among adults who experienced delirium themselves, more than four in ten (44%) described their experience as at least somewhat frightening, and nearly one-fifth (19%) said they were extremely or very frightened. Among adults who were witnesses to a delirium episode, more than six in ten (63%) felt that their loved one was at least somewhat frightened by their experience, and one-quarter (25%) said they were extremely or very frightened. [Source: 2020 AARP Delirium and Brain Health Study: Adults Ages 50+, fielded November 17–23, 2019.]

 

HEARING AND BRAIN HEALTH

Knowing the importance of hearing health doesn't prompt action.

• Adults 40 and older say hearing health is an important concern for people in the United States (67%), people 50 and older (86%), their family and friends (79%), and to them personally (78%). They also indicate that hearing health is extremely (35%) or very important (46%) to quality of life. Yet relatively few adults (26%) in this age group have had a hearing test in the last five years. And many report they never protect their hearing while using power tools (34%) or loud machinery (38%), attending concerts (52%) or sporting events (58%), or attending events in places like restaurants or bars where loud music is featured (56%). [Source: The Intersection Between Hearing and Brain Health: Survey of Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded May 2023.]

Most adults know hearing loss contributes to social isolation; fewer know that it contributes to dementia.

• More than half of adults are aware that hearing loss contributes, at least to some degree, to social isolation (68%), depression (63%), and cognitive decline (54%). Somewhat fewer are aware hearing loss can contribute to fall risk (47%) and dementia (43%). [Source: The Intersection Between Hearing and Brain Health: Survey of Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded May 2023.]
  
  
• Adults who self-report excellent hearing have higher mental well-being scores, lower depression and anxiety scores, and a greater proportion report excellent or very good overall health and brain health. The difference is most notable between those who say their hearing is excellent compared to adults who acknowledge they have an untreated hearing loss. [Source: The Intersection Between Hearing and Brain Health: Survey of Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded May 2023.]

Overall health ratings appear stable while brain health ratings have dipped slightly since 2015.

• The overall health rating among adults 40 and older was virtually unchanged at 43% compared to the 2015 figure. More than half (56%) of adults 40 and older said their brain health is excellent or very good, a slight five percentage-point drop from the 2015 rating (61%). Over eight in 10 (84%) adults feel that it is very important to maintain or improve their brain health, a figure virtually unchanged since 2015. [Source: Brain Health Then and Now: Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded September 2015 (then) and May 2023 (now).]

Many midlife and older adults consider it important to maintain or improve their brain health, with most concerned about their mental sharpness declining.

• Over eight in 10 (84%) adults feel that it is very important to maintain or improve their brain health, a figure virtually unchanged since 2015. Concern about their brain health or mental sharpness declining, however, appears a bit higher in 2023 than it did in 2015 (78% vs 73%).  [Source: Brain Health Then and Now: Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded September 2015 (then) and May 2023 (now).]

But it’s a mixed story when it comes to what older adults are doing about their brain health.

• Two-thirds of adults ages 40 and older report regularly taking vitamins or supplements in 2023 compared to half of those surveyed in 2015 who said the same thing (67% vs. 52%). But fewer adults in 2023 are pursuing a purpose in life (33% vs. 39%) or engaging in mindfulness activities (10% vs. 29%). [Source: Brain Health Then and Now: Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded September 2015 (then) and May 2023 (now).]
  
  
• For the situations that would greatly encourage someone to engage in brain-healthy activities, fewer adults in 2023 said a major illness related to brain health would push them to do more (56% vs. 64%). Additionally, fewer adults said they would be encouraged to pursue brain-healthy activities even if their own memory was declining (49% vs. 56%). [Source: Brain Health Then and Now: Adults Ages 40-Plus, fielded September 2015 (then) and May 2023 (now).]

 

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Traumatic brain injury is relatively uncommon among adults 18-plus.

• A bump, blow, or jolt to the head or an object piercing the skull are among the causes of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). One-third (33%) of adults 18 and older said they had experienced a head injury but only 2% said they had a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Among those who experienced a head injury, some report still experiencing lingering symptoms such as headaches (26%) and memory problems (14%). Adults who have experienced a TBI are more likely to experience memory problems (61%), trouble concentrating (53%), and sleep problems (42%). [Source: Traumatic Brain Injury: Awareness Among Adults 18 and Older, fielded July 2023.]

U.S. adults 18 and older take head injuries seriously.

• Following a head injury, most sought medical attention, although about one-third (36%) chose not to do so. As for the majority who did, three in 10 (29%) went to the ER on their own and one in seven (15%) called an ambulance, while others sought help at an urgent care facility (7%) or through their health care practitioner (10%). Among adults who said they had a TBI, three-quarters (76%) either went to the ER in an ambulance (33%) or on their own (43%). [Source: Traumatic Brain Injury: Awareness Among Adults 18 and Older, fielded July 2023.]

Adults also take head injuries seriously even in a hypothetical situation.

• About three in 10 (31%) adults ages 18 and older say they would go to the emergency room if they fell down the stairs and hit their head, even if they felt okay afterward. However, adults in older age groups are significantly more likely to head to the ER in this situation. with those 55–64 (39%) and 65 and older (36%) the most likely to say they would do so. [Source: Traumatic Brain Injury: Awareness Among Adults 18 and Older, fielded July 2023.]

Adults are less concerned about getting a TBI from a fall — despite falls being a leading cause of one. 

• Adults express worry about getting a TBI from a car wreck but are somewhat less concerned about getting one from a fall. More than four in 10 (45%) adults 18 and older said they are extremely or very worried about getting a TBI from a car wreck, while less than one-fifth (18%) said they are worried about getting one from a fall. [Source: Traumatic Brain Injury: Awareness Among Adults 18 and Older, fielded July 2023.]

The connection between falling and traumatic brain injuries may not be well understood.

• One-third (34%) of adults 18 and older said they are extremely or very interested in learning how to prevent a traumatic brain injury, while fewer (26%) reported the same level of interest in learning how to reduce their risk of falling. This disconnect is troubling since falls are a leading cause of TBIs. [Source: Traumatic Brain Injury: Awareness Among Adults 18 and Older, fielded July 2023.]

 

MUSIC AND BRAIN HEALTH

Not just talkin’ ‘bout my generation.

• About one-third (45%) of adults ages 18 and over spend half the time or more listening to background music during everyday activities. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]
  
  
• Eight in ten (81%) adults said they enjoy music from before their generation, half (49%) like music from after their generation, and just one in eleven (9%) only like music from their own generation. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]

Listening to music while engaged in everyday activities has a small, positive effect on mental well-being, anxiety, and depression.

• Adults ages 18-plus who listen to music while engaging in routine activities have slightly higher average mental well-being scores (51.4 vs. 47.0) and slightly lower anxiety (12.4 vs. 13.3) and depression scores (16.9 vs. 21.3) compared to adults who never have music on in the background. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]
  
  
• Adults ages 18 and over who report listening to background music more often have higher ratings for some cognitive functions and self-reported brain health. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]

A majority of adults ages 18 and older listen to recorded music in a focused way and enjoy higher average well-being scores.

• More than eight in ten (82%) adults ages 18-plus have ever listened to recorded music in a deliberate and focused way, and two-thirds (67%) say they currently engage in this activity.
  
  
• Adults ages 18 and over who listen to recorded music in a focused way have slightly higher average mental well-being scores (51.5 vs. 48.9) and slightly lower anxiety (11.9 vs. 12.8) and depression scores (15.6 vs. 18.3) than adults who have never listened to recorded music in a focused way.
  
  
• Adults ages 18-plus who currently listen intently to recorded music are significantly more likely to self-rate aspects of their cognitive function as excellent or very good compared to adults who have never engaged in this activity. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]
  

It is never too late to reap the benefits of music appreciation.

Among adults ages 65 and over, current engagement in music amplifies the mental well-being effects of early music exposure or makes up for a lack of initial musical exposure. [Source: 2020 Music and Brain Health Survey, fielded April 1–14, 2020.]

 

MENTAL HEALTH, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND RESILIENCY

Screening for anxiety and depression among midlife and older adults is an important part of a routine health assessment, but it is not consistently done.

• About one-quarter of adults 50 and older have been told by a health care professional that they have an anxiety disorder and/or depression (27% for both). Of those, the majority report that they are currently being treated for their anxiety (60%) and/or depression (56%). [Source: Anxiety and Depression Among the 50-Plus, fielded March 2023].

• Of those who have never been told they have an anxiety disorder or depression, only about one-third (37%) say they were asked about their mental and emotional health by a health care professional in the past two years, a finding which underscores the importance of including routine mental health assessments for all, especially those over age 50. [Source: Anxiety and Depression Among the 50-Plus, fielded March 2023].

Meditation is a well-known practice, but few regularly engage in it.

• While nearly two-thirds (63%) of adults 50 and older are familiar with meditation, fewer than half (44%) ever engage in the practice, and only one-fifth (21%) say they meditate weekly or more often.  Most commonly, adults ages 50 and older say they meditate to relax (64%), to cope with stress (56%), or to create a sense of calm (54%). [Source: Adults are Familiar with Meditation But Tend Not to Engage, fielded July 2023].

Meditation is a good way to reduce stress — but only if you practice it.

• Two-thirds (67%) of adults in the 50-plus age group feel that meditation reduces stress at least to some extent. Nearly nine in 10 (87%) adults who meditate say the practice reduces stress, while half (51%) of those who do not meditate believe it reduces stress. [Source: Adults are Familiar with Meditation But Tend Not to Engage, fielded July 2023].

Work schedules often affect workers’ sleep.

• Nearly two-thirds (65%) of workers 18 and older said that their work schedule affects the amount of restful sleep they get in a typical day at least to some extent, with one in ten (10%) noting that their sleep is affected to a great extent. Additionally, those workers who reported that their sleep was affected to the greatest extent had worse mental health outcomes compared to those whose sleep was less affected. [Source: Brain Health and Employment: Adults Ages 18-Plus, fielded April–May 2024.]

Both workers and employers benefit from a health and wellness focus.

• Employer-based health and wellness benefits are related to a higher level of job satisfaction and better brain health, overall health, and mental health outcomes.  U.S. workers 18 and older who are extremely or very satisfied with more aspects of their jobs rate their brain health and overall health higher and have better mental health outcomes. [Source: Brain Health and Employment: Adults Ages 18-Plus, fielded April–May 2024.]

The emotional impact of the pandemic has led some older adults to increase both positive and negative coping habits.

• Although many believe that the pandemic crisis is over, there have been some lingering positive and negative mental/emotional effects. One-fifth (19%) of older adults ages 50 and older say compared to before the pandemic they are now sleeping or napping more. We could see this behavior as positive (increased rest and relaxation) or negative (being less active). On the more negative side, one in ten (10%) say they overreact or lose control more often now than they did before the pandemic. [Source: 2021 AARP COVID and Emotional Wellbeing Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded April 2021.]
  

Despite a decline in emotional well-being among older adults because of the pandemic, few have sought help from a mental health professional.

• Although the vast majority of older adults say they have experienced a decline in their emotional well-being (i.e., increased anxiety, depression, worry, etc.), only one in eight (12%) sought help from a mental health professional. A third (32%) of those who sought help from a mental health professional in the past year say they sought help because of the pandemic. [Source: 2021 AARP COVID and Emotional Wellbeing Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded April 2021.] 
  
  
• Interestingly, nearly half (45%) of older adults ages 50-plus say that prior to the start of the pandemic, it was likely they would have sought help from a mental health provider if they had mental health concerns.  About one in seven (15%) say the experience of the pandemic has increased the likelihood they would seek help from a mental health provider. [Source: 2021 AARP COVID and Emotional Wellbeing Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded April 2021.] 
  

While older adults rate their emotional well-being and resiliency high, a deeper dive reveals many have trouble bouncing back from hardship.

• When asked about emotional health, two-thirds (64%) of adults ages 50 and over say their emotional health is very good or better; however, when asked about specific emotional health measures, we find many have been bothered by several issues — half (52%) said they had difficulty falling or staying asleep, more than four in ten (45%) had been bothered by anxiety, and about one-third reported little interest or pleasure in doing things (34%) or had feelings of depression or helplessness (31%). 45% had been bothered by anxiety. [Source: 2022 AARP Healthy Living Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded February 24 and March 1, 2022.]
  
  
• About six in 10 (58%) adults ages 50-plus rate their level of resiliency as high (8, 9, or 10 out of 10). However, when asked about specific measures of resiliency, a sizable number of older adults said they struggle with adapting and bouncing back when things don’t go as planned and/or during hardship (39%). [Source: 2022 AARP Healthy Living Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded February 24 and March 1, 2022.]
  

Mind over matter: Midlife and older adults’ higher resiliency seems to mean a more positive outlook on aging.

• Those who say they have a high level of resiliency (8, 9, or 10 out of 10) are significantly more likely than those who say they have a medium level of resiliency (4 to 7 out of 10) to agree they are aging well and have a positive outlook on aging. For example, four in ten (42%) adults ages 50 and over who rate their resiliency high say they are aging well, compared to about one in ten (13%) of those who rate their level of resiliency in the medium range. Similarly, adults with a high resiliency level are more likely than those with medium levels of resiliency to say they have a lot to look forward to as they ages (47% vs. 13%). [Source: 2022 AARP Healthy Living Survey of Adults Ages 50 and Older, fielded February 24 and March 1, 2022.]

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