Abstract
Understanding how persons with serious mental illness (SMI) age is crucial. We compared the aging of persons with SMI with that of older adults from the general population in a large community sample focusing on demographic and clinical variables: cognitive performance, dementia, and diabetes. Participants were New Zealanders 65 years and older who completed the international Resident Assessment Instrument (interRAI). Data from 10,361 participants (mean age 80.4 years, 55.5% female) were analyzed. 258 of them were persons with SMI (mean age 73.0, 57.0% female). Persons with SMI were significantly younger than those from the general population. InterRAI assessments showed no clinical differences. Significantly, more persons with SMI were living alone and without a partner. Older community-dwelling persons with SMI exhibited onset of frailty at a younger age.