Community-dwelling older adults with dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid have an increased risk for decline in function and cognition after ICU hospitalization, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Snigdha Jain, MD, and colleagues examined the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and decline in function, cognition, and mental health among older survivors of an ICU hospitalization. Dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid status was a measure of socioeconomic disadvantage, and such eligibility was associated with a significant increase in disability after ICU hospitalization after accounting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.28; 95% CI, 1.00- 1.64) and with significantly increased odds of transitioning to probable dementia (OR, 9.79; 95% CI, 3.46-27.65). There was no association observed for dual eligibility with symptoms of depression and anxiety after ICU hospitalization (IRR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.99-1.79).
