Getting the shingles vaccine when you're 80 or older might slightly lower your risk of dying from dementia over the next nine years—especially for women—but not so much for men.

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 with dementia who get the shingles vaccine may live longer than those who don’t, but the vaccine doesn’t seem to help people without dementia live longer—so maybe it’s helping slow down dementia itself.

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.

Getting the shingles vaccine might help older people avoid dementia—especially those over 75 or in their late 60s—but it doesn’t seem to help much for people in their early 70s, suggesting age matters.

Women who got the shingles vaccine may be a little less likely to die from dementia than women who didn’t, but for men, the vaccine doesn’t seem to make a difference in dementia deaths.