The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS) Wave A

The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS), a supplement to the Health and Retirement Study, was funded by the National Institute on Aging with the specific aim of conducting a population-based study of dementia. HRS formed a partnership with a research team led by Brenda L. Plassman, Ph.D., director of the Epidemiology of Dementia Program at the Duke University Medical Center. The purpose of this collaboration was to conduct in-person clinical assessments for dementia on selected HRS respondents in order to gather information on their cognitive status. A diagnosis of dementia, cognitive impairment but not demented (CIND), or non-case was assigned on the basis of this assessment. Prior community-based studies of dementia have focused on a particular geographical area or have been based on nationally distributed samples that are not representative of the population. This study is the first of its kind to conduct in-home assessments of dementia in a national sample that is representative of the U. S. elderly population. ADAMS was funded by The National Institute on Aging as a supplement to the Health and Retirement Study (U01 AG09740).

Wave A contains initial ADAMS assessments completed for 856 respondents between August 2001 and December 2003.