Impaired muscle function, including its decline, is related to greater long-term late-life dementia risk in older women.

Weaker grip strength and slower TUG, and a greater decline over 5 years, were significant risk factors for a late-life-dementia event in community-dwelling older women, independent of lifestyle and genetic risk factors. Incorporating muscle function measures as part of dementia screening appears useful to identify high-risk individuals who might benefit from primary prevention programmes.