bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HOW DO OLDER ADULTS COPE WITH INTERSECTIONAL EXPERIENCES OF AGEISM AND RACISM?
Authors: Steward Andrew , Zhu Yating , De Fries Carson , Dunbar Annie Zean , Trujillo Miguel , Hasche Leslie
Published: December 2023

The World Health Organization recently launched a global campaign to end ageism due to its widespread, insidious negative health impacts on older adults. Similarly, racism is a key driver of health disparities and has been declared a public health crisis by jurisdictions around the United States. While a strong literature summarizes coping theory in general as well as beneficial and maladaptive coping mechanisms among older adults, limited research describes how older adults cope with experiences of ageism and racism, particularly through an intersectional lens. The aim of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to understand how older adults cope with intersectional experiences of ageism and racism. Twenty adults 60+ residing in the U.S. Mountain West who identified as Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Indigenous, or White participated in a one-hour, semi-structured interview. A team of five coders engaged in an inductive coding process through independent coding followed by critical discussion. Peer debriefing, member checking, and an audit trail enhanced credibility. Nine themes were identified: 1) resistance, 2) exhaustion, 3) acceptance/‘let it go,’ 4) avoidance, 5) increased awareness through aging, 6) help others, 7) educate others, 8) self-determination/defy stereotypes, and 9) healthy lifestyle. These themes exemplify problem-focused and emotion-focused, as well as individual and collective coping strategies. Novel findings include how older adults may cope with ageism and racism through helping peer older adults and via increased awareness through aging. Practitioners should recommend coping strategies which combine collective and problem-focused responses to ageism and racism such as resistance, helping others, and educating others.
MAPPING MENTAL HEALTH PATHWAYS AMONG BISEXUAL WOMEN, MEN, AND NONBINARY INDIVIDUALS IN MID AND LATER LIFE
Authors: Jen Sarah , Kang Hyun , Kim Hyun-Jun , Lafountain Olivia , Fredriksen-Goldsen Karen
Published: December 2023

The health-related pathways of bisexual individuals are most often compared to those of lesbians and gay men or examine participants of different genders separately. However, little is known regarding how the health-related pathways of bisexual individuals of diverse genders compare to one another, particularly in mid- to later life. This analysis examines identity-related and social factors which impact the mental health outcomes of midlife and older bisexual women, men and non-binary individuals and compares health-related pathways across genders. Analyses examined data from the National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (NHAS), including bisexual women (96), men (102), and non-binary individuals (16) ages 50+. The study utilized structural equation modeling to investigate direct and indirect associations between gender and mental health via sexual identity-related (victimization, negative identity perception, and outness) and social factors (LGBTQ community engagement). For both men and women, negative identity perception was associated with being less out, particularly among women. Bisexual men who reported more victimization also reported more negative identity perception. However, negative identity perception was associated with worse mental health only among women. Across genders, victimization negatively impacted mental health and identity outness increased community engagement. Community engagement mediated the relationship between identity outness and mental health among men. Findings indicate distinct mental health pathways across genders. Thus, mental health interventions might also differ. While LGBTQ community engagement might be particularly beneficial to bisexual men, bisexual women might struggle more with identity perception. Future research will benefit from larger subsamples, particularly among non-binary individuals.
SENNET CONSORTIUM: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Authors: Niedernhofer Laura
Published: December 2023

The Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) Program was established in 2021 by the NIH Director’s Office Common Fund with the goal of comprehensively identifying and characterizing senescent cells across human lifespan in numerous organs. Mapping senescent cells in mice was added in 2022 to leverage genetic and pharmacologic approaches to drive, report, and ablate senescence in vivo. Senescent cells are implicated in driving most if not all age-related chronic diseases as well as accelerated aging caused by chronic diseases and their treatments (e.g., cancer chemotherapy). Furthermore, therapeutics specifically targeting senescent cells (senotherapeutics) have been developed and are currently being tested in clinical trials for multiple disease and geriatric endpoints. Thus, identifying and characterizing senescent cells throughout human aging and disease states has the potential to significantly impact human health. The SenNet Consortium is a highly collaborative network of scientists across the globe jointly benchmarking tools, technologies, and data analytic approaches, and aligning their activities with other NIH Common Fund initiatives, such as HuBMAP. While mapping senescent cells holds great biomedical promise, there are challenges such as the absence of specific biomarker to identify senescent cells, the appearance of senescence under physiological and pathological conditions, and little knowledge of what drives senescence in vivo. Analogous to the Human Genome Project, to achieve SenNet goals, innovative tools and technologies for single cell and spatial tissue analysis must be developed. Products of SenNet, in addition these new approaches, will include common nomenclature to define senescent cells, novel biomarkers of senescent cells, and publicly accessible databases and 4D atlases of senescent cells in 18 human and murine organs that enables 4D visualization.
EMPLOYMENT AS A FORM OF SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AMONG OLDER ADULTS: LINKS TO COGNITIVE AND FUNCTIONAL HEALTH
Authors: Yang Peilin , Waite Linda , Kotwal Ashwin
Published: December 2023

Within the active aging literature, studies on social participation and health concur that people who are better socially integrated and engage in social activities tend to have better physical, mental, and cognitive health. This study revisits the literature by aiming to address three primary knowledge gaps in prior literature: 1) we explicitly examine the change within the 5-year-interval in cognition, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) associated with social participation five years prior; 2) we examine diversity in participation’s association with not only cognitive function, but also ADL and IADL, which we lack knowledge of; 3) we conceptualize employment in later life as a kind of social participation, a part of older adults’ lives that is overlooked in the social participation literature. We also examine whether the relationship between social participation and cognition, ADL, and IADL is the same for men and women, and for those employed and those not employed. The study finds that neighborhood participation at a high level indicates worse cognitive, ADL, and IADL outcomes 5 years later, and a higher level of neighborhood participation is more indicative of worse cognitive outcomes for men than for women. Full-time employment predicts better cognitive, ADL, and IADL outcomes 5 years later. We also find evidence that full-time work creates a stronger buffer against cognitive decline, developing ADL difficulties, and IADL difficulties, even among older adults who socialize with family and friends, participate in the community, and the neighborhood at a high level, respectively.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL ISOLATION TO SELF-NEGLECT AMONG OLDER ADULTS: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY
Authors: Kotwal Ashwin , Mullen Rebecca , Cenzer Irena , Burnett Jason , Perissinotto Carla , Hawkley Louise
Published: December 2023

Self-neglect among older adults is characterized by inattention to hygiene and one’s immediate living conditions, and may reflect unmet needs from social relationships. We therefore determined if social isolation was associated with self-neglect and how the association differed by gender. We used data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) Wave 3 (2015), a nationally-representative survey of 3,677 community-dwelling older adults. Social isolation was determined using a 12-item scale assessing household contacts, social network interaction, and community engagement. Self-neglect was assessed in-person and included 1) body neglect (lowest quintile of bodily self-presentation related to clothes and hygiene) and 2) household neglect (lowest quintile of household building condition, cleanliness, odor and clutter). Logistic regression was used to determine the adjusted probability of self-neglect by social isolation, and interaction terms with gender. Results indicated the association between social isolation and self-neglect differed by gender (p-values for interaction: body neglect: 0.02, household neglect: 0.20). Among women, social isolation was associated with a higher risk of body neglect (social isolation: 26% vs no isolation: 14%, p=0.001) and household neglect (23% vs 17%, p=0.05). For men, social isolation was not associated with body neglect (27% vs 23% p=0.2) or household neglect (23% vs 22%, p=0.8). In summary, social isolation was associated with body and household neglect among women, but was not associated with neglect among men. Future work should investigate mechanisms for gender differences and interventions to address or prevent self-neglect through enhancing social connectedness.
OLDER ADULT VOLUNTEERS AS MENTORS IN GERIATRIC EDUCATION
Authors: Knebl Janice
Published: December 2023

Health professions education that involves older adults has been shown to be effective in improving students’ clinical skills and attitudes towards older adults. With the goal of introducing healthcare students to geriatric care through first-hand experiences, the “Seniors Assisting in Geriatrics Education (SAGE)” Program involves older adult volunteers age 65+ in virtual person-centered health promotion visits with teams of three to four students. Through an application process, mentors are selected and receive orientation materials before visits with their assigned team. Students represent eight disciplines: dietetics, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, social work, and speech language pathology. Students practice basic clinical skills and screening techniques while working as a team and receiving feedback and input from their mentor. In 2022, we surveyed older adult volunteers to evaluate their mentor experience using open-ended and Likert style questions on a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Survey responses (n=99) show that most mentors agreed students collaborated well (94%), health promotion topics for each visit were beneficial (83% to 85%), and they were satisfied with their SAGE experience (96%). Mentors identified opportunities for improvement related to student and mentor preparation, in-person versus online visits, and establishing rapport between mentors and teams. Results were used to enhance mentor training and engagement and to create community partnerships for recruitment and mentor diversity. By prioritizing recruitment of and training for volunteers, older adults can actively and effectively participate in meaningful educational experiences with health professions students.
EVALUATING PROGRAMS WITH OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS AS PARTNERS IN PATIENT EDUCATION
Authors: Murphy Sara
Published: December 2023

The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center has several programs where patients, older adults, caregivers and healthcare stakeholders are incorporated directly into the educational experience or provide feedback to inform the design of educational programs. In addition to the program design, there are evaluation considerations related to incorporating these important stakeholders to best capture the impact of this group. The goal of evaluation research has become more and more important in program design, especially with interdisciplinary programs and programs involving multiple stakeholder groups. Evaluation research is the assessment of outcomes and information that will inform future decision making. These stakeholders are important partners and have an important impact on program design and research outcomes, which is something that should be measured along the way. The University of North Texas Health Science Center Community Advisory Council, Infection Control Advocate and Resident Education (ICARE), Dementia Education, and Seniors Assisting in Geriatric Education are programs that will be included in this evaluation discussion. For these projects, we included evaluation components to keep the patient’s voice at the center of education planning, delivery, and improvement. This presentation will discuss the evaluation of impact in these programs, discuss barriers to measurement, and report early results. One key finding is the lack of systematic measurement tools available and the need for additional tools that can be used across settings where patients are part of the education program design.
FRIENDSHIP MATTERS: UNDERSTANDING THE LINK BETWEEN FRIENDSHIP AND HEALTH IN LATER LIFE
Authors: Lim Emily , Fiori Katherine
Published: December 2023

Friendship matters in later life, as friends provide social support to older adults. Yet, current social relationships and health literature focuses primarily on family relationships. This symposium aims to highlight studies that explore the associations among friendship, health, and health behaviors, with a focus on individual differences. First, using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), Lim and Burr demonstrate a non-linear relationship between the number of friends and loneliness, with a possible threshold effect for men but a more complex relationship for women. In their investigation of the moderating role of friendship on the association between widowhood and cognition using the HRS, Zhang et al. also find interesting gender differences where greater friendship strain is associated with a faster cognitive decline for widowed men, but not women. Ng and Birditt also uncovers important individual differences, this time in the association between friendship and mental health among Black and White dementia caregivers. They find that emotional support from friends is linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression, but primarily for White caregivers. Mimbs et al. extend these studies to focus on health behaviors, addressing links between interactions with family and friends and hurricane preparedness and evacuation likelihood. Using an online survey of older Floridians, they show that more interactions with friends are associated with greater preparedness and evacuation likelihood. Our discussant, Katherine Fiori, will discuss how these findings can extend the literature on friendship and health in later life, with a focus on the roles of individual differences and context.
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN NUMBER OF FRIENDS AND LONELINESS FOR OLDER MEN AND WOMEN USING THE HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY
Authors: Lim Emily , Burr Jeffrey
Published: December 2023

Loneliness is a significant health risk. Older adults are susceptible to loneliness and friendship is a source of support, potentially alleviating loneliness in later life. Few studies examined the association between friendship and loneliness among older adults and whether gender moderates this association. We examined the association between friendship and loneliness for older men and women longitudinally with data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Our sample included 7,257 community-dwelling adults aged 50 and above (M=68.05, SD=10.38). Using multilevel linear modeling, we examined the effects of number of friends, including quadratic and cubic terms for number of friends. After controlling for covariates, our results showed having more friends is negatively associated with loneliness (β=-0.21, p<.001) and for the quadratic friends term (β=0.01, p<.001), and the cubic friends term (β=-0.00, p<.01) on loneliness. While the number of friends is also negatively associated for both men (β=-0.15, p<.001) and women (β=-0.30, p<.001), there were significant effects of the quadratic (β=0.04, p<.001) and cubic friends terms on loneliness for women (β=-0.00, p<.001). For men, only the quadratic friends term was significant (β=0.02, p<.001) but not the cubic friends term. These results show there is a non-linear relationship between number of friends and loneliness, with a possible threshold effect for men and a more complex relationship for women. Our findings have implications for friendship in later life, indicating that social interventions may need to be tailored differently for older men and women to promote friendships and potentially reduce loneliness.
WHAT ROLE DO SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS PLAY IN HURRICANE SURVIVAL?
Authors: Mimbs Hope , Barrett Anne , Noblitt Jessica , Michael Cherish , Soulie Brianna
Published: December 2023

Despite the disproportionately high hurricane mortality rates for older adults, we know little about how hurricane preparedness and evacuation decisions are influenced by social relationships, specifically interaction with family and friends. Using data from an online survey of Floridians aged 50 and older that was conducted between December 2020 and April 2021 (n=3,797), we examine the association between frequency of interaction with family and friends and two hurricane survival measures: hurricane preparedness and likelihood of evacuation. We found that interacting more frequently with friends predicts greater hurricane preparedness, as well as a greater likelihood of evacuation. We also found that interacting more frequently with family members predicts a greater likelihood of evacuation. Our study highlights yet another benefit of social relationships: Interacting more often with friends and family can save lives during emergencies.
MATCHING DYADIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS WITH DYADIC ANALYTIC MODELS
Authors: Novak Joshua
Published: December 2023

Examining shared and common experiences between dyads affords opportunities to answer interesting research questions using dyadic data. Emerging dyadic methodology has expanded the types of research questions researchers can ask and answer. This session aims to equip researchers with knowledge and resources for grant writing, when planning new data collection projects, or when conducting secondary data analyses. Reviewing both cross-sectional and longitudinal methods, we will walk attendees through several types of research questions and match them with appropriate dyadic analytic strategies. These include the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), the Common Fate Model, the Dyadic Growth Curve Model (and ALT Model), the Common Fate Growth Curve Model, the Random Intercept Cross-lagged Model, as well as various extensions. We will address accounting for non-independence in dyadic models, along with how to explore substantive dyadic processes. We will review ways that different approaches conceptualize, assess, and examine within and between dyad comparisons. We will also consider ways to address self and other reports of the same construct, such as health congruence/concordance or discordance/difference, as well as perceptions of accuracy or bias, enhancement, and idealization between dyads. Attendees will learn of resources available to learn more about the methods addressed in this session.
CHRONIC CONDITION DISCORDANCE WITHIN OLDER COUPLES: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Authors: Polenick Courtney , Birditt Kira
Published: December 2023

Nearly half of U.S. adults aged 45-64 and over 80% of those 65 and older have two or more potentially debilitating chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. Chronic condition discordance (i.e., the extent that two or more conditions have non-overlapping self-management requirements) increases care complexity and can make multiple chronic conditions more difficult to manage. Most research on multimorbidity and chronic condition discordance focuses on individuals, however older adults with chronic conditions often have a spouse or partner with chronic health problems that further complicate self-care. Our dyadic concordance model of multimorbidity posits that chronic condition discordance at the individual level (i.e., discordance in two or more chronic conditions within individuals) and the couple level (i.e., discordance in two or more chronic conditions between spouses) has adverse implications for the psychological well-being and self-management behaviors of both partners. We discuss key findings that support this model using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, which include the implications of individual-level and couple-level chronic condition discordance for depressive symptoms, physical activity, alcohol use, and global and health-related perceived control over time. We then describe how these findings inform clinical care and interventions to improve the health and well-being of couples living with multiple chronic conditions. Finally, we propose future directions to build on and expand the dyadic concordance model of multimorbidity and its use in understanding how older adults manage multiple chronic conditions within the context of their close relationships.
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS OF TECHNOLOGY INTERVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA AND INFORMAL CAREGIVERS
Authors: Xu Ling , Zhao Lingya
Published: December 2023

Objectives

Most people with dementia live at home and get care from informal caregivers. To support people with dementia and informal caregivers, a series of technology interventions have been introduced and implemented. The aim of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of recent technology interventions. Method: A systematic literature search was carried out in 14 online databases and Google Scholar, covering articles published during January 2005 and January 2020. Over three hundred articles were identified, of which 23 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Meta-analyses for characteristics of included studies were conducted.

Results

Most studies demonstrated that technology interventions had various benefits for both people with dementia and their informal caregivers living in the community. For informal caregivers, these interventions tend to improve their psychological conditions and provide useful help when caring for people with dementia. For people with dementia, these interventions have potential to improve their performance and mental conditions, and keep them safe at home, which could delay institutionalization and save financial costs.

Conclusion

Technologies can be used independently by people with dementia, to help them in positive psychological condition, and to maintain their basic social interaction should be developed. Technology interventions should be developed and selected according to the progression of dementia. More assessment studies using randomized controlled trails should be conducted, so that we can evaluate extant technology interventions more rigorously.
IMAGINING THE FUTURE OF AGETECH
Authors: Sixsmith Andrew
Published: December 2023

The intersection of global population aging and technological trends in e-health, robotics, artificial intelligence, and mobile technologies has led to the emergence of “AgeTech” as a way to improve the health and well-being of older people. While this might be seen as an almost deterministic process of technological change, the visioning, development and implementation of technology is essentially a creative and socially-situated process. This requires us to understand AgeTech as a socio-technical imaginary, examining the intersecting spheres of social action and technological development. This idea of technological development as a creative process, runs counter to an idea of technology in purely rational and instrumental terms and brings into play cultural, political and behavioural factors. Our symposium examines the socio-technical imaginary of AgeTech in three papers: Paul Higgs and Chris Gilleard discuss Fourth Ageism and the Technological Imaginary of Long-term care and argue that the problematizing of aging present in current thinking needs to be challenged at the conceptual stage of technological development. Andrew Sixsmith et al will present on A Global AgeTech Agenda, with a particular focus on how AgeTech development and innovation should connect with global initiatives such as the UN’s Strategic Development Goals. Mei Lan Fang et al will take an Ethical Perspective on AgeTech to discuss some of the complex challenges around the creation and use of technologies and argue that culture change is needed within the research and innovation communities to develop ethically grounded AgeTech. This is a Technology and Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.
A GLOBAL AGETECH AGENDA
Authors: Sixsmith Andrew , Fowler-Davis Sally , Bhanbhro Sadiq , White Rebecca
Published: December 2023

AgeTech is increasingly seen as a way to support and enhance the health and independence of older people. However, AgeTech research and innovation agendas overwhelmingly focus on the needs of older people in developed countries and have so far failed to recognise that population aging is a global-level trend that intersects with other “megatrends”, such as climate change, urbanisation and international migration. Drawing on an environmental scan of the current and emerging AgeTech sector, this paper argues that technology research, development and innovation needs a global agenda that engages with initiatives such as the UN’s Strategic Development Goals and Decade for Healthy Ageing. It is also important to situate AgeTech in the wider debate on global disparities. The ongoing impact of colonial legacy (afterlife colonization) continues to reduce life chances, leads to poor health, and is present in everyday relationships between people and institutions at global and local levels. This is particularly apparent in the unequal impact of climate change on people and places, but as yet, the discussion of these issues is notably absent in the narratives surrounding AgeTech. This misses significant opportunities for global reciprocity in health, co-development of useful and appropriate technologies, and more sustainable approaches to innovation (e.g opportunities for frugal innovation), The paper highlights the potential role of older people as active participants in technological change, for example for mitigating climate change and its unequal impact on the Global South
FOURTH AGEISM AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMAGINARY OF LONG-TERM CARE
Authors: Higgs Paul , Gilleard Chris
Published: December 2023

Many high-income countries are pre-occupied with the rising number of older people needing long term care and the consequent demand for a labour force to carry out these tasks. In many other sectors of the economy the problem of labour supply is increasingly being met by the introduction of sophisticated technology. Seeking to extend this strategy to the long-term care sector (LTC) has led to research and development in various care technologies. This paper examines the imaginaries fuelling such efforts, as distinct from the outcomes of such research. One such imaginary is that of a fourth age, a state of frailty and dependency that requires others to carry out instrumental and related activities of daily living to those deemed to have fallen under its shadow. This creates a set of contrasting goals, between on the one hand the desire to deliver LTC in a way that maximises the dignity and integrity of the persons receiving LTC and on the other the desire to reduce demands on the workforce. While the former stresses the maximisation of the humanity of LTC the latter is often motivated by the reduction of the (human) labour inputs involved. These dilemmas will arguably become acute if such various technological imaginaries become realities. This paper argues that forms of implicit fourth ageism present in current thinking need to be challenged at the conceptual stage of this technological imaginary.
TRANSDISCIPLINARY WORKING FOR CULTURE CHANGE IN ETHICAL AGETECH
Authors: Chu Charlene , Sixsmith Judith , Fang Mei Lan , Boger Jennifer
Published: December 2023

This presentation proposes a new way of understanding ethical culture in AgeTech as a dynamic and changing set of ethical research, design, and developmental processes and practices. By focusing on dynamics of ethical performance and the values, beliefs, and expectations that underpin them, this approach emphasizes ongoing ethical negotiation of all stakeholders involved in the research, design, and development of technology, rather than as a checklist at the research outset. Transdisciplinary working (TW) is proposed as an effective means to implement ethical processes and practices. By involving diverse stakeholders in the development of shared aims and objectives, ethical considerations become detached from the domain of researchers and become a more inclusive stakeholder negotiation. TW acknowledges that the development of new technologies cannot be separated from the people who design and use them; and the social practices, social norms, and social meanings in which they are steeped. The co-creation of socio-technical AgeTech systems is a key strategy for creating culture-change in ethical working environments. By involving diverse stakeholders in dynamic ethical processes across the research pathway, meaningful involvement of all stakeholders can be ensured, resulting in the effectiveness and relevance of AgeTech. Subsequently, technologies that are more responsive to the needs and desires of older people, carers, and professionals, and better reflect the complex ethical landscape in which they operate are created. Overall, this presentation offers a new perspective on ethical culture in AgeTech, one that involves diverse stakeholders in the creation of socio-technical systems that are both effective and ethical.
LOCKED IN SUFFERING: UNLOCKING HOPE AND IMPROVING CARE FOR ELDER INMATES: A CALL FOR ACTION
Authors: Kheirbek Raya , Latham-Mintus Kenzie
Published: December 2023

Our program will focus on several key areas, including care for hospitalized inmates, the importance of providing comprehensive care for all prisoners as mandated by 8th amendment, and the importance of identifying inmates facing end of life who would benefit from compassionate release. We will begin with a discussion on the challenges faced by elder inmates and address their unique physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs. With a growing population of aging prisoners, it is critical that we examine the healthcare and social services required to ensure that they receive adequate care. Next, we will explore the differences in healthcare provision for inmates versus non-inmates who are hospitalized. The presentation will examine the acute exacerbation of chronic disease, ethical considerations and legal requirements involved in providing care to both populations. We will also discuss the importance of interdisciplinary care for incarcerated individuals, which requires collaboration among medical providers, mental health professionals, social workers, chaplains and other specialists. Our panel of experts will share their experiences and provide insights on how this approach can improve health outcomes and reduce recidivism rates after release . Finally, we will hear from advocates who are working to ensure that all prisoners receive adequate healthcare and social services, They will share strategies for improving access to care, reducing health disparities, and addressing the unique needs of incarcerated elders Our symposium provides a unique opportunity to explore and share insights on how we can work together to improve the health and wellbeing of incarcerated individuals.
COMPASSIONATE RELEASE OF DYING INMATES: A STEP TOWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Authors: Lutz Gabriel , Yang Yulin , Kheirbek Raya
Published: December 2023

Mr. John is a 60-year-old incarcerated male with advanced stage IV lung cancer that had metastasized. He was admitted to the hospital with significant pain and failure to thrive. Several lines of chemotherapy failed him, and he desired to be at home with his family as he approached the end of life. Unfortunately, he was unable to leave the hospital except to be back to prison. He was continually shackled to bed with 2 police officers in his room. The case highlights the need to advocate for compassionate release, that allows for the early release of terminally ill inmates who are not a danger to society, and offers tools and steps to help release hospitalized inmates to the care of their families. To obtain compassionate release, the first step is to identify eligible inmates with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of less than six months, which must be confirmed by a medical evaluation. The second step involves filing a petition for compassionate release with the appropriate authority, including medical records, a statement from the treating physician, and a plan for the inmate’s release and care in the community. The third step entails advocating for the inmate’s release, which may involve working with advocacy groups, contacting elected officials, and raising public awareness. By granting compassionate release to dying inmates, we can provide them with the opportunity to die with dignity and spend their final moments with their loved ones, which is a fundamental aspect of social justice.
ASSET-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES (ABCD FOR DFC): A PILOT PROJECT IN HONG KONG
Authors: Chui Cheryl , Lu Shiyu , Chan On Fung , Lum Terry
Published: December 2023

There is little understanding about how a dementia-friendly community can be constructed in East Asian societies, particularly in geographically remote areas characterized with majority older adult residents and limited external support. A pilot project using an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach in constructing a dementia-friendly community in Hong Kong was implemented. Informed by the theoretical tenets of ABCD, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of this pilot project in enabling older adult residents and other community stakeholders to better respond to challenges resulting from growing prevalence of dementia. Multiple stakeholder interviews were conducted with older adult residents, church leaders, district councillors, and social workers. Participants were asked to share the strengths and challenges of this ABCD pilot project in building a dementia-friendly community. Data generated from interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four key preliminary themes were identified, including on the individual level: enhanced dementia literacy, and enacted proactive behaviour; and on the community level: strengthened bridging social capital, and improved community caring capacity. Uncertain long-term financial and professional support posed challenges to participants. Nevertheless, findings underscore the importance of departing from traditional service delivery models, to one that infuses ABCD approaches in constructing a dementia-friendly community. Mobilising existing human and social capital in the community, and embedding older adults in co-creating solutions are key to improve dementia-related interventions. We contribute to ongoing theoretical and practice discussions on the intersections between population aging and employing community-based solutions to create a more dementia-friendly society.
CHANGES IN D3CR MUSCLE MASS, WALKING SPEED, GRIP STRENGTH, AND CHAIR STANDS PERFORMANCE IN THE OLDEST OLD MEN
Authors: Cawthon Peggy , Lui Li-Yung , Hetherington-Rauth Megan , Ensrud Kristine , Cauley Jane , Santanasto Adam , Evans William , Orwoll Eric
Published: December 2023

One tenet in sarcopenia research is that strength is lost substantially more quickly than muscle mass with age. This assertion is mostly supported by data that uses indirect proxies for muscle mass, such as lean mass from dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We posit that changes in direct estimates of muscle mass, such as muscle mass determined by d3-creatine dilution (D3Cr muscle mass), will be similar in magnitude to changes in strength and physical performance. In men who completed the Year 14 and Year 20 visits (N=220, Year 14 mean age: 82.9 yrs) of the MrOS study, we measured change in D3Cr muscle mass (kg), walking speed (m/s), grip strength (kg), and five repeat chair stand performance (stands/10 seconds). Over an average of 6.1 years of follow-up, men had extensive declines in D3Cr muscle mass (-3.29 kg, -12.8%), grip strength (-5.4 kg,-15.1%), walking speed (-0.23 m/s, -17.8%), and chair stands performance (-1.0 stands/10 seconds,-9.0%). Annualized percent change was of similar magnitude for D3Cr muscle mass (-2.2 %/year), grip strength (-2.5 %/year), walking speed (-2.9%/yr); with slightly lesser decline in chair stands performance (-1.5%/year). Change in D3Cr muscle mass was correlated with change in grip strength (r=0.22, p<.05) but not with change in walking speed or chair stand performance. Our finding that changes in muscle mass and strength were of similar magnitude and intercorrelated suggest that muscle mass itself has a more important role in loss of strength with age than has been previously considered, at least in the oldest-old men.
HOUSING AND HOME MODIFICATION FOR AGING IN PLACE: PERSPECTIVES, PROGRESS, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Authors: Pynoos Jon
Published: December 2023

Aging in place remains a high priority of older adults. However, the home environments in which they reside often have hazards and lack supportive features, putting them at risk of falls and making it difficult to carry out daily activities. People who need home modifications the most (i.e., vulnerable populations) are the least likely to have them. In response to the needs of the growing population of older adults, there has been notable progress in the field. Now, with an increasing recognition of the impact of housing on health, there are new opportunities to move the field forward. Highlighting Powell Lawton’s contributions as a foundation, this lecture will: 1) review major developments in research, service delivery, policy, and consumer education, and 2) discuss recommendations for action that practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and advocates could undertake to realize Lawton’s vision of home environments that support aging for all.
DIFFERENCE IN TIME SPENT CAREGIVING BETWEEN CAREGIVERS OF IMMIGRANT AND NONIMMIGRANT OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Suntai Zainab , Okine Joana
Published: December 2023

Each year, the number of informal caregivers in the United States continues to rise, in conjunction with the increasing aging population. Concurrently, the number of immigrants in the United States had progressively increased over the past few decades, leading to an intersection of three pivotal issues: caregiving, aging, and immigration. While there are several studies targeting caregiving in the United States, fewer studies have aimed to understand the experiences of caregivers of older immigrants. This study examined differences in time spent caregiving between caregivers of older immigrants compared to caregivers of older non-immigrants. Data were taken from Round 11 (2022) of the National Study of Caregiving, a nationally representative study of informal caregivers caring for an older adult with functional limitations. Chi-square tests were used to test bivariate associations, and a multivariate logistic regression model was run to determine the relationship between and older adult’s immigration status and time spent caregiving by their caregiver. Results showed that caregivers of older immigrants were significantly more likely to report that they provided care every day, compared to caregivers of non-immigrants. These results point to potential cultural implications for immigrant families, who are generally less likely to use formal caregiving avenues such as nursing homes, and less likely to use additional services such as home health aides. Implications for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners are discussed.
DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF ADULT CHILDREN’S HEALTH PROBLEMS ON PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CAREGIVING FOR PARENTS
Authors: Stepniak Catherine , Suitor J Jill , Gilligan Megan
Published: December 2023

Adult children often serve as primary and secondary caregivers to their aging parents as they face greater needs for assistance. However, it could be expected that the flow of caregiving support from adult children to parents might be disrupted if adult children are facing their own serious health challenges. Surprisingly, the literature provides no clear picture of the way in which children’s health moderates their provision of care to older parents. In the present study, we shed new light on this question using quantitative and qualitative data collected from 156 mothers ages 75-85 regarding assistance provided by their 586 adult children as part of the Within-Family Differences Study. Additionally, we will explore if there are differences based on timing of the children’s health problems, the types of health problems (physical health vs. psychological health), and gender of the adult children. Quantitative analyses showed that adult children with serious health problems were just as likely as their healthy siblings to be a primary or secondary caregiver to their mothers. Qualitative data revealed the complex emotional and practical cost-benefit analyses mothers and their adult children with health problems engaged in to maintain reciprocal support exchanges. Our findings underscore the importance of using mixed-method approaches to understand the ways in which the provision of care to parents is shaped by adult children’s own health status.
ASSOCIATION OF ASSISTED LIVING HOMES PREPAREDNESS FOR AND RESPONSES TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WITH RESIDENT PAIN
Authors: Shrestha Shovana , Maxwell Colleen , Dampf Hana , Devkota Rashmi , Hoben Matthias
Published: December 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted care processes in assisted living (AL) and negatively affected resident outcomes associated with resident pain (e.g., mobility problems, depression). Pain has severe consequences, including hopelessness, insomnia, depression, poor quality of life. However, we lack research on how the pandemic affected AL resident pain. To address this gap, we linked surveys from 42 AL homes in Alberta, reflecting pandemic waves 1 (Mar-Jul 2020) and 2 (Nov 2020-Feb 2021), to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) records of 1,828 residents (wave 1: 890, wave 2: 938) who lived in these homes during these periods. Using generalized estimating equation models, we assessed whether resident characteristics, physical and occupational therapy received, home preparedness for and responses to the pandemic were associated with resident pain (measured as at least moderate daily pain or pain of excruciating intensity, based on the RAI pain items). Over 19% of the residents reported pain (wave 1: 19%, wave 2: 19.1%). Resident characteristics associated with pain were cognitive impairment (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.6), loneliness (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.6), arthritis (OR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.6-2.8), fractures (OR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.4-2.9), polypharmacy (OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.3-2.6) and use of analgesics (OR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.3-2.3). Home preparedness and physical and occupational therapy received were not associated with pain, but more communication with family/friend caregivers (OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8) was. Effective communication of family/friends with residents may promote better management of residents’ pain. Further, longitudinal studies examining resident and AL home characteristics and its impact on residents’ pain are needed.
THE NEXUS OF AGING AND MIGRATION: THE CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE AND WHERE GERONTOLOGICAL INQUIRIES OUGHT TO HEAD
Authors: Torres Sandra , Hunter Alistair , Glicksman Allen
Published: December 2023

Research on older ethno-racialized minorities (which comes primarily from North America) has dominated ethno-gerontological debates over the past few decades. In this research, ethnicity and race have been primarily viewed as social positions that place older people at risk of social exclusion. Migrancy, however, has yet to receive adequate attention from social gerontologists, despite the centrality of migration and aging for demographic change globally in recent decades. When migrancy is considered by gerontologists, it is not uncommon for us to think of the vulnerability trope. The highly-charged political debates in which the social exclusion and deservingness of migrant populations have been at stake have undoubtedly contributed to this state of affairs. From the field of migration studies, some have argued that the nexus of aging and migration offers new lenses from which the intersections of ethnicity, race, migrancy and old age can be approached. This symposium brings together contributors to an international network that has been working to survey the current state of knowledge at the aging-migration nexus and where future research ought to head. This symposium will argue that the study of older migrants has far-reaching implications for the economy, public policy, societal cohesion and individual wellbeing, and that – as such – this is a theoretically-profuse angle of investigation for social gerontology.
SOCIAL RELATIONS AND OLDER MIGRANTS
Authors: Ajrouch Kristine , Antonucci Toni , Hu Rita
Published: December 2023

This paper elaborates on how the key life course tenets of timing and context represent important factors that influence older adult social relations following the act of migration. The timing of migration may yield specific social relations. For instance, migrating later in life is likely to result in more homogenous and restricted networks compared to migrating as a young adult. Reasons for migration (political instability, family reunification, or socio-economic aspirations) as well as host country factors such as immigrant policies and receptivity infer important contexts in which social relations emerge. The process of movement from one country to another, and the circumstances around those movements, frame the migrant experience and its effects on social relations. Beyond timing and context, there are also demographic and cultural factors that influence the experience. For instance, gender, race and SES indicate social positions in systems of stratification that can influence and structure the people with whom one has ties. Further, cultural factors such as country of origin and language not only signal the ease with which host society incorporation occurs, but also inform the acculturation and meaning-making processes upon which the formation and function of social relations rest. In sum, the concepts found in the life course perspective provide a useful starting point to demonstrate that the effects of migration on older adults’ social relations occur within various influential contexts.