KFF Health News October 15, 2024
Sociologist Elena Portacolone was taken aback. Many of the older adults in San Francisco she visited at home for a research project were confused when she came to the door. They’d forgotten the appointment or couldn’t remember speaking to her.
It seemed clear they had some type of cognitive impairment. Yet they were living alone.
Portacolone, an associate professor at the University of California-San Francisco, wondered how common this was. Had anyone examined this group? How were they managing?
When she reviewed the research literature more than a decade ago, there was little there. “I realized this is a largely invisible population,” she said.
Portacolone got to work and now leads the Living Alone With Cognitive Impairment Project at UCSF....
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