*3.1. Sample Characteristics*

A total of 221 participants were studied, of whom 168 (76%) were women. The overall mean age was 79.1 (8.6) years, 95% CI (78–80.3), and the range was 65–100 years. No significant differences in age between women and men were found.

A total of 48% of the sample were married, and 50% of the group of women were widows. With regard to institutionalization, 107 persons were admitted to one of two types of geriatric centers (48.4%), finding no sex differences. The sample consisted of 167 subjects living in an urban area (75.6%) compared with those living in a rural area.

A total of 96 participants had a diagnosis of dementia, 43.4% with a 95% CI (36.7–50.2) of the study subjects. Prevalence in women was 45.2% compared to 37.7% in men (*p* = 0.42). For AD (*n* = 74), the overall prevalence in the sample was 33.5% with a 95% CI (27–39.9), higher in women (35.7%) than in men (26.4%) *p* = 0.28. Finally, 22 participants were diagnosed with non-AD dementia.

With regard to the level of independence for performing basic daily life activities, the median Barthel Index score for people with dementia was 10 (max = 80 and min = 0). Consequently, 61.49% showed a total dependency, 31.25% showed a severe dependence, and 7.29% showed a moderate dependence.

Finally, the prevalence of other relevant clinical entities was: Depression (17.6%), T2DM (18.1%), hypertension (61.5%). In terms of dyslipidemia, the prevalence was 38.7%, and 74.4% of them were under treatment with statins. Table 1 shows the characteristics of the sample according to the study variables and sex.
