Getting the shingles shot when you're in your late 70s might lower your risk of getting dementia by about 20% over the next seven years—maybe because the virus that causes shingles could also be involved in brain changes that lead to dementia.

Getting the shingles shot when you're 65 or older might help lower your chances of developing dementia by about a third over the next several years.

Getting the shingles shot doesn’t seem to make older people healthier in general—but it might specifically help lower their risk of dementia, and that’s probably not just a coincidence.

People with dementia who got the shingles vaccine were nearly 30% less likely to die from dementia over nine years—maybe the vaccine helps slow down how fast dementia gets worse, even in advanced stages.

People who received the shingles vaccine were observed to have a 20% lower rate of dementia diagnosis over seven years, with this effect being more pronounced in women than in men.

Getting the shingles shot after age 80 might help people with dementia live longer, even if they already have dementia — it doesn’t stop dementia from starting, but it might slow it down.