Cognitive impairment and depression in community-dwelling older Korean women

Cognitive impairment and depression were investigated in older Korean women. 143 Korean women (M age = 75.8) attending four senior service community centers in Seoul participated. 27% scored as possibly demented and 15% as demented on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. 57% scored as depressed on the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale. Younger elderly women (ages 65-74 years) displayed less cognitive impairment than older women. Older elderly Korean women (> 75 yr.) who lived with their spouses scored as more cognitively stable than those who lived without spouses. Those with inadequate income scored higher on Depression, which was inversely correlated with cognitive function in the entire sample. Dementia and depression were found to be more frequent in this elderly sample than previously reported by the Korean government.