Because of the high cost of dementia care, anything that significantly reduces risk has Macroeconomic impact.
There have been studies that showed shingles vaccine lowers dementia risk but this one is HUGE and the subjects were high-risk patients who were already in nursing homes.
Study Looks at Risk for Dementia After Shingles Vaccine in High-Risk Group
— Analysis assessed 500,000 skilled-nursing facility residents in the U.S.
by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today, June 15, 2026
Older adults at higher risk for dementia were less likely to have a dementia diagnosis if they received a herpes zoster (shingles) shot, a cohort study using target trial emulation showed.
Among 500,000 people in skilled-nursing facilities for post-acute or long-term care, those who received the recombinant zoster vaccine (Shingrix) had a 24% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia over 4 years compared with those not vaccinated (risk ratio [RR] 0.76, 95% CI 0.69-0.84), reported Kaleen Hayes, PharmD, PhD, of the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island, and co-authors.
Receiving at least one zoster shot was tied to a cumulative 4-year dementia risk that was 5.81 (95% CI 3.9-7.5) percentage points lower – 18.8% versus 24.6% with no vaccine… The cohort included 509,926 participants with a mean age of 79…[end quote]
I know 6 people who got shingles, including my husband and one who almost lost her eyesight. I got the original shingles vaccine (Zostavax) as soon as I was eligible and then the new Shingrix even though I had to pay over $400 out of pocket. Given this new information it’s an urgent priority for seniors, especially since it’s free to Medicare Part D patients.
The Macroeconomic impact is tremendous.
The recent anti-amyloid drugs which supposedly slow Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are extremely expensive and pathetically ineffective. Anti-Amyloid Drugs (Lecanemab / Donanemab) slow decline in early AD to a difference of less than 1 point between the drug and a placebo over a year and a half. Many experts point out that this mathematical difference is so small it is often imperceptible to the patient or their family in daily life. Lifelong or long-term intravenous (IV) infusions every 2 to 4 weeks, significant risk; 12% to 24% of trial patients developed ARIA (brain swelling or micro-bleeding), ~$26,000 to $32,000 per year for the drug alone (not including imaging/infusion costs).
The government should put up billboards encouraging seniors to get their free shingles vaccines.
Wendy