Johns Hopkins researchers found isolated older adults have a 28 percent greater risk of developing dementia than do their counterparts who are not socially isolated.

In what may the first study of a longitudinal association between social isolation and incident dementia using a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults, the research adds to the growing list of impacts of social isolation on health and wellness.

The study looked at more than 5,000 older adults with a mean age of 76.4. Overall, 23.3% identified as socially isolated and 21.1% developed dementia by the end of the follow-up period.

For more information, see the study and analysis here.