Cognitive scores fell in older Swiss adults over time
In the oldest cohort, the share with scores indicating marked cognitive difficulties rose from 16.5% in 2017 to 30.6% in 2023.
Our read
Populations- Studied:
- Cohort study of community-dwelling older Swiss adults, 2016-2024
- What changed:
- Cognitive screening scores fell over time in all cohorts, with the largest decline in the oldest
- The catch:
- Only adults with complete assessments were included, excluding those with missing data
- Why it’s aging research:
- It measures an outcome that worsens with age.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study in Lausanne, Switzerland, followed community-dwelling older adults: 412 born in 1934–1938, 702 in 1939–1943 and 826 in 1944–1948. Women made up 58%–63% of each cohort. Researchers analyzed complete data from three assessments per participant between 2016 and 2024. They measured cognition with the Mini-Mental State Examination, a cognitive screening test.
Scores declined in all three cohorts, with the largest decline in the oldest. The authors concluded that the pandemic and confinement period coincided with accelerated cognitive decline, particularly in that cohort. Financial assistance for health insurance was associated with cognitive outcomes, but the direction varied across cohorts. Anxiety and apathy also increased, particularly after confinement.
Why it matters
The authors called for public health strategies that address cognitive aging alongside older adults’ socioeconomic and psychological needs.
Caveats
Before-and-after observational data cannot establish that the pandemic, rather than aging or other changes, caused the decline. The analysis included only participants with complete assessments and concerned community-dwelling adults in Lausanne, not people living in institutions.
- Financial assistance for health insurance
- COVID-19 pandemic and confinement
- Mini-Mental State Examination
- Anxiety
- Apathy
- Humans
The paper
University of Geneva
Innovation in Aging, Jan 1, 2026, Open access
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