Older adults with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) and elevated depressive symptoms have a clinically meaningful and faster disablement trajectory than those without elevated depressive symptoms, according to a recent study. A generalized linear mixed-model analysis was conducted using 5 waves (8th–12th) of Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data. Researchers included 419 older adults who self-reported new DM diagnosis within the previous 2 years and used the Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale to measure elevated depressive symptoms. Disability was measured by 10 items defined in the HRS data set. They found:

• The trajectory of disability differed between older adults with and without elevated depressive symptoms after newly diagnosed DM over time.
• Significant and clinically meaningful between-group differences were found in disability after the onset of DM (waves 10 and 11) but not before the onset of DM (waves 8 and 9).
• Among older adults with elevated depressive symptoms, disability at pre-DM waves (8 and 9) was significantly less than post-DM waves (10–12).
• Difficulties with shopping, walking, and dressing were mostly reported by older adults with elevated depressive symptoms.