bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR CAREGIVERS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA
Authors: Stratton Lauren , Fazio Sam
Published: January 2025

The majority of care provided to people living with dementia is from family or informal caregivers. There is currently a lack of evidence-based programs and services that are available online or virtually to informal caregivers. This symposium consists of three studies, including the evaluation of two programs and the 24/7 Helpline that are available to informal caregivers of people living with dementia through the Alzheimer’s Association. The novel findings presented in this symposium will focus on the full impact these programs and services have on caregivers and address the gap in evidence-based programming. First, Judge will discuss the evaluation of a new program, The Empowered Caregiver, which highlights positive efficacy and acceptability data. Second, Grant will present the results of an evaluation for both an online and virtual program, Managing Money: A Caregiver’s Guide to Finances. Lastly, Hodgson will discuss three iterative studies that evaluated the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline, which provides 24/7 support over the phone, including care consultations. Fazio will serve as the discussant to draw attention to current gaps in caregiving intervention literature, the importance of evidence-based programs and services, and the future direction of these programs. Together, these studies contribute to our understanding of effective and accessible programs and services for caregivers.
EXPLORING VIRTUAL REALITY, VOICE INTERFACES, AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN TECHNOLOGY INTERACTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Reyes Jimmy , Reyes Jimmy
Published: January 2025

The proposed symposium highlights recent advances in addressing health disparities and technology adoption among older adults. Three noteworthy studies were undertaken by researchers spanning diverse career stages, thereby encompassing a breadth of expertise and viewpoints. The first study introduces MOTIVE, an immersive virtual exercise intervention targeting older adults who are low-income and living in urban settings. Results suggest acceptability of the intervention and support the scaling of the MOTIVE Study. Another study explores the usability of voice-assisted smart speakers among low-income minority older adults. While participants generally appreciate the hands-free interaction, challenges such as navigation difficulties and unintentional activations were noted. Customizable voice user interfaces are suggested to accommodate health conditions and speech abilities, essential for broader adoption. Contrary to stereotypes, smartphone and AI technology adoption among older adults is increasing. However, perceptions about AI may influence engagement. A pilot study investigating personality traits’ impact on AI interaction reveals extraversion predicts engagement, while agreeableness and conscientiousness affect perceived usability. Integrating personality traits into technology research protocols is crucial for understanding and enhancing older adults’ engagement. An integrated discussion, guided by the chair, will provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in technology adoption and usability within the context of gerontology. Collectively, these scholarly discussions will offer invaluable insights into innovative interventions and technological paradigms aimed at mitigating health disparities and enhancing the quality of life among older adults.
OPTIMUM CIRCADIAN RHYTHM FOR HEALTHY LIFESPAN
Authors: Panda Satchidananda
Published: January 2025

To thrive within nature day-night cycle, our genetic makeup is designed to orchestrate the rise and fall of nearly every gene in our genome at specific times. This rhythmic gene expression is vital for maintaining overall health and vitality. In our modern world, circadian rhythms are frequently disrupted, elevating risks of various chronic diseases. An understanding of circadian rhythm principles can lead to lifestyle interventions aimed at preventing, managing, and even reversing chronic diseases. One such pragmatic approach is time-restricted feeding/eating (TRF), a form of intermittent fasting that confines food intake to a consistent 8-10 hour daily window. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that TRF sustains circadian rhythm. TRF can be a preventive or therapeutic measure for several chronic conditions, including obesity, diabetes, liver and kidney diseases, various cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, TRF, when combined with a healthy diet, can enhance or preserve muscle mass in older animals and extend lifespan. Human studies on TRF are beginning to replicate some, though not all, of the benefits observed in laboratory animals. Beyond food timing, the timing and quality of light exposure also play a crucial role in influencing our sleep and circadian rhythm. Optimal light exposure has been linked to reduced depression, improved mood, enhanced nighttime sleep, and even accelerated recovery in hospitalized patients. In summary, insights from circadian rhythm science are unveiling new lifestyle choices that have the potential to be implemented on a population scale. These interventions aim to sustain both physical and mental health throughout human lifespan.
STRATEGIES AND OUTCOMES OF GAIT SPEED IMPLEMENTATION IN A GERIATRIC PRIMARY CARE CLINIC
Authors: Garbin Alexander , Johnson Thomas , Allison Caitlin , Lum Hillary
Published: January 2025

Over a 10-month period, gait speed was measured during 4700 patient visits (1931 unique patients) as part of a quality improvement project within a geriatric primary care clinic. This presentation will comprehensively detail strategies and outcomes from this implementation project. Primary implementation strategies included use of an automated gait speed measurement device to reduce Medical Assistant burden, integration of gait speed into the electronic medical record, identification of clinical champions, and development of environmental supports to facilitate gait speed measurement and provider referral guidance. Burden was assessed at the start of the implementation period (n=124 visits), with results detailing a median of 19.5 seconds (IQR 14.3, 26.4) added to rooming workflow with the addition of gait speed measurements. Implementation outcomes of reach and adoption were examined on a weekly basis and were defined by the proportion of patient visits with a gait speed measurement and proportion of provider notes that included gait speed, respectively. At the end of the implementation period, reach was 73.3% while adoption was 53.9%. We also examined gait speed change in patients with two or more gait speed measurements, separated by at least 180 days (n=516). After stratifying by baseline risk (<0.6 m/s ‘at risk’; ≥0.6m/s ‘not at risk’), patients identified as ‘at risk’ (n=159) increased their gait speed by 0.07 m/s (IQR -0.01, 0.20; p<0.001), while those ‘not at risk’ (n=419) experienced no change (IQR -0.12, 0.11; p=0.94). Together, this information details considerations for implementing gait speed while also demonstrating its preliminary feasibility and benefit.
IMPLEMENT A SELF-ADMINISTERED, SMARTPHONE APP-BASED GAIT ASSESSMENT FOR FUTURE INTERVENTION IN OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Lo On-Yee (Amy) , Lee Pei-An , Yu Wanting , Zhou Junhong , Manor Brad
Published: January 2025

Gait metrics reflect functional capacity and sensitively predict adverse health outcomes. Measuring gait performance – under normal (i.e. walking quietly at a self-selected speed) and “dual-task” conditions (i.e. walking while performing an unrelated cognitive task) – is recommended for assessing and monitoring physical and cognitive functions in older adults. However, there is a significant gap in understanding gait performance outside of lab and clinical settings, yet it is greatly needed. Our team developed a smartphone application (App) to capture gait metrics during normal and dual-task conditions. This App provides users with multimedia instructions, enabling them to self-administer the gait assessment remotely and repeatedly. Acquired data were uploaded to a cloud-based server for offline analyses. Our team has validated and deployed this App within several studies focused on older adults across a wide range of physical and cognitive functional limitations. Results suggested that gait metrics derived from the App were highly correlated with those derived from the GAITRite mat. The test-retest reliability of App-derived gait metrics were high for normal and dual-task walking. Older adults with intact cognition (N=17, MoCA >26) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI, N=16, 19< MoCA≤26) can safely, self-administer this App once a day for 5 consecutive days. Older adults with MCI exhibited significantly higher day-to-day variation in gait variability during dual-task walking (0.30±0.14), compared to cognitively intact older adults (0.19±0.09). Our effort also demonstrated an 80-year-old faller could use this App – with a caregiver’s assistance - to measure gait metrics bi-weekly for up to one year.
POTENTIALLY INAPPROPRIATE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM MEDICATION PRESCRIBING AMONG SEXUAL AND GENDER MINORITY ADULTS
Authors: Wong Chelsea , Smith Louisa , Cavanaugh Robert , Kim Dae Hyun , Streed Carl , Kapadia Farzana , Olivieri-Mui Brianne
Published: January 2025

Among older, cisgender heterosexual adults (non-OSGM) mental health disorders and frailty are associated with higher potentially inappropriate medications (PIM). Yet, this association remains unclear among older sexual and gender minority adults (OSGM) who experience higher burden of frailty at earlier ages. We aimed to assess PIM prescribing by OSGM status and frailty. Using the All of Us Database (v7, Controlled Tier), we included participants ≥50yo without a diagnosis for appropriate use of four central nervous system PIM classes: hypnotics /sedatives, antipsychotics, antidepressants, or anxiolytics. Separate logistic regression models for each PIM category were constructed to estimate the association of OSGM status and frailty category with PIM prescriptions adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, income, marital status, and HIV status. The full sample included 967 OSGM and 15,563 non-OSGM. OSGM adults were younger (mean [SD], 63 [8] vs 66 [8], p<0.05), with higher frailty (36% vs 27%, p<0.05), similarly insured (98% vs 98%, p>0.05), and fewer reported “excellent” mental health (19% vs 26%, p<0.05). There were no significant associations between OSGM status and prescriptions in PIM categories of hypnotic/sedatives, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. However, OSGM status (aOR=1.79, 95% CI 1.09,2.79) and frailty (aOR=1.97, 95% CI 1.43,2.71) were associated with higher odds of anxiolytic PIM prescriptions. Our findings suggest that OSGM status and frailty were each independently associated with PIM anxiolytic prescriptions. This highlights a disparity in potentially inappropriate prescribing of anxiolytics among OSGM.
MAKING AGE-INCLUSIVE CAMPUS PRACTICES MORE DEMENTIA-INCLUSIVE
Authors: Montepare Joann , Nikzad-Terhune Katherina
Published: January 2025

Shifting demographics are calling for higher education to respond to aging populations through more age-inclusive programs, practices, and partnerships. As institutions navigate this new educational terrain, gaps are evident. This symposium draws attention to the need to integrate age-inclusive with dementia-inclusive efforts. Addressing this need with educational interventions can benefit our students’ own healthy aging and longevity. Moreover, efforts that involve older adults living with dementia likewise have beneficial capacity for their well-being. To begin, Montepare (Lasell University) will provide an overview of contemporary age-inclusive initiatives in higher education (Age-Friendly University/AFU, Age Inclusivity Domains of Higher Education/AIDHE) and research motivating dementia-focused educational opportunities. Next, Mastel-Smith and colleagues (University of Texas at Tyler) will describe how nursing students co-created life stories online with people living with dementia who served as mentors and will show how qualitative data from students and mentors revealed positive outcomes for both groups. Kimzey (Texas Christian University) will then discuss a novel educational strategy in which a person with dementia (expert by experience) participated in teaching an undergraduate dementia course for health profession students and present data from focus groups and interviews showing the benefits of dementia-inclusive educational design. Finally, Shovali (Eckerd College) will describe how harnessing technology can expand dementia-inclusive teaching and learning. Specifically, how incorporating oculus VR headsets in experiential classroom activities can enhance students’ understanding and empathy of people living with dementia. Katherina Nikzad-Terhune (Northern Kentucky University), co-convener of the Age Inclusivity in Higher Education Interest Group, will serve as discussant.
“EVERYBODY HAS A SOUL”: PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA AND NURSING STUDENTS CO-CREATING LIFE STORIES
Authors: Mastel-Smith Beth , Kimzey Michelle , Robinson Amy Ahlbrand , Hermanns Melinda
Published: January 2025

Lack of meaning and purpose in life can increase disability, stress, mortality, and the risk of cognitive impairment. Finding meaning and purpose helps people with dementia adjust to the diagnosis and can be accomplished via expressions of identity such as life review, a formal process of systematically reviewing and reflecting on one’s lived life. Digital storytelling involves telling a story using computer technology to record and share an individual’s narrative. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceived benefits of nursing students and people with dementia (the mentors) described after digitally co-creating the mentors’ life story. Allport’s Intergroup Contact Theory and the Lifestory as Legacy protocol guided intervention development. The study was approved by Institutional Review Boards and participants signed informed consent. Ten mentors and 13 students co-created the mentors’ life story during seven online meetings and completed qualitative interviews using an interview guide. Colaizzi’s process of data analysis was used to analyze data. Students and mentors described what it was like to co-create the mentor’s life story, what the experience meant to them, and what they learned. Mentors described how the student did and made them feel, importance of sharing their story with family, and advice for future health professionals regarding dementia care. Students commented on preparation to elicit their mentor’s stories and the perceived effect on their mentor. Co-creation of life stories online is feasible and had positive effects for nursing students and mentors with dementia.
EXPERT BY EXPERIENCE WITH DEMENTIA CO-TEACHING: HAVING AN EXPERT IN EVERY CLASS
Authors: Kimzey Michelle
Published: January 2025

Care for people with dementia requires a better understanding of the reality of dementia. People with dementia are the true experts on dementia because they are living the experience. Including them in the teaching role benefits students and a person with dementia. The study aimed to understand how a person with dementia (expert by experience, [EBE]) involved in the teaching of an undergraduate dementia course impacted health profession students, an EBE with dementia, and their care partner. The qualitative exploratory design used semi-structured interviews for the student focus groups and interviews with an EBE and care partner. Students described the benefits of EBE, including increased awareness, knowledge, competencies, and reduced stigma. The EBE discussed the benefits, challenges, and meaningfulness of the experience. The care partner acknowledged the benefits for EBE and the family. Engaging people with dementia in EBE benefited students, families, and the EBE. By giving them a platform to educate students and self-advocate, we can positively impact the lives of people with dementia.
DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMER-REPORTED QUALITY INDICATORS FOR PUBLICLY-FUNDED HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES
Authors: Shippee Tetyana , Wolf Jack , Parikh Romil , Duan Yinfei , Langworthy Benjamin , Giordano Stephanie , Jutkowitz Eric
Published: January 2025

Consumer-reported measures are important quality indicators of person-centered home and community-based services (HCBS). Lack of granularity in administrative data hinders measurement of consumer-reported quality in publicly-funded HCBS. The National Core Indicators- Aging and Disability Survey (NCI-AD) is potentially a great source of consumer-reported data for quality measurement in publicly-funded HCBS. Therefore, we analyzed NCI-AD data to develop consumer-reported quality indicators for HCBS. We applied exploratory factor analyses (EFA) to consumer-reported items from the 2018-2019 survey wave (n=5,572 community-dwelling consumers, age ≥65 years). Through EFA, we identified 5 quality indicators which were then validated in two ways, qualitatively by a technical expert panel (for face validity and contextualization) and quantitatively, using confirmatory factor analyses in the 2017-2018 survey wave (n=9,145 community-dwelling consumers, age ≥65 years). The 5 newly developed and validated quality indicators included service satisfaction (3 survey items, Cronbach’s alpha=0.89, McDonald’s omega=0.90), staff quality (5 survey items, alpha=0.86, omega=0.89), environmental safety (4 survey items, alpha=0.81, omega=0.89), service decision-making (5 survey items, alpha=0.79, omega=0.86), and community inclusion (5 survey items, alpha=0.78, omega=0.86). These indicators had reasonable concurrent validity, with service satisfaction having the highest correlation with other indicators (Pearson’s correlation coefficient between 0.59-0.36). These five new consumer-reported quality indicators can be used by researchers, service providers, and policy makers for evaluating and monitoring service quality and identifying modifiable targets for quality improvement in publicly-funded HCBS.
PRINCIPLES OF QUEER GERONTOLOGY
Authors: Fabbre Vanessa , Oswald Austin , Jen Sarah
Published: January 2025

This symposium will present principles for queer gerontology – or gerontological scholarship aimed at promoting social justice for all, but especially for LGBTQ+ people as they age – and potential applications of this approach within existing and future scholarly projects. Building upon recent applications of queer theory and perspectives to aging studies and gerontology, we propose five principles of queer gerontology—1) Deeping Visibility and Awareness; 2) Developing and Applying Critical Perspectives; 3) Challenging Oppression and Injustice; 4) Engaging Multiple Epistemologies and Modes of Inquiry; and 5) Fostering Transdisciplinary Advancement—and present evidence and themes from existing empirical and conceptual scholarship that exemplify these principles. The first presentation will describe the need for queer gerontology, the iterative process through which these principles were developed, and present the principles. The second presentation will apply a critical secondary qualitative data analysis to illustrate the principles of queer gerontology in action. The third presentation will explore the theme of being a scholar-activist in the practice of queer gerontology. The symposium will offer a chance for attendees to reflect critically on their own scholarship and devise directions for future work with respect to these principles.
ENHANCING CARE AND TEAM PROCESSES THROUGH NURSE PRACTITIONER-LED HUDDLES IN LONG-TERM CARE HOMES
Authors: vellani Shirin , McGilton Katherine , Krassikova Alexandra , Keatings Margaret , Sidani Souraya
Published: January 2025

Long-term care (LTC) homes faced unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting both staff and residents. Huddles led by a skilled facilitator have the potential to enhance care and team dynamics positively. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are highly trained clinician and leader with a proven history of contributing to favorable outcomes for residents, staff, and the health system within LTC homes. The objectives of this mixed-methods study included: 1) assess the implementation of NP-led huddles; 2) compare outcomes of moral distress and perceived support between staff; and 3) examine changes in resident outcomes. Over a four-month period, huddles were conducted on two units of a privately-owned, not-for-profit LTC home in Ontario, Canada. Post-implementation outcomes were compared between staff who attended at least one huddle (intervention group, n=20) and those who did not (control group, n=22). Anonymized resident-level data from RAI MDS 2.0 were utilized to evaluate resident outcomes. Bayesian analysis was employed to compare outcomes across different staff categories and to summarize changes in RAI measures before and after the intervention. Forty-eight huddles, primarily focusing on resident care (46%) and staff well-being (34%), were conducted by the NP. Direct care staff who attended huddles reported lower levels of moral distress and increased support from the NP. One of the intervention units showed statistical evidence of reduced medical complexity among residents over time. In conclusion, NP-led huddles have the potential to positively impact both staff and resident outcomes and integration of NPs into LTC can facilitate implementation of evidence-informed practices in LTC.
MUSCLE MASS NOT LEAN MASS IS ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEFINING SARCOPENIA
Authors: Cawthon Peggy
Published: January 2025

The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study is the largest study to date that has employed the D3Cr dilution method to assess muscle mass. In the study of ~1400 older men, low D3Cr muscle mass (but not low DXA lean mass or appendicular lean mass) was associated cross-sectionally with worse Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score, slower walking speed, decreased lower extremity power, worse chair stand ability, and greater likelihood of prevalent mobility limitations and disability. This population of older men (mean age of 84.2 y) reported multiple chronic diseases. Men in the higher quartiles of D3Cr muscle mass had significantly lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure, and COPD. In addition, men in higher quartiles of D3Cr muscle mass/body mass generally had better cognitive function, had higher levels of physical activity, greater Life-Space, and had markedly lower levels of exhaustion and fatigue. In longitudinal analyses over 3-5 years of follow-up, low D3Cr muscle mass was also associated with increased risk of hip fractures, injurious falls, incident disability and mortality. Generally, the association of low D3Cr muscle mass with these outcomes was not explained by weakness or slow walking speed and there were few associations between low lean mass and these outcomes.
APPLES TO APPLES? DISCORDANT DEFINITIONS STILL HINDER EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR SARCOPENIA
Authors: Coletta Giulia
Published: January 2025

The definition of sarcopenia continues to evolve, creating difficulty in determining the diagnosis and prognosis of the newly classified disease. The most common definitions include a combination of (a) muscle mass [measured using proxies of muscle mass—appendicular lean soft tissue via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)]; (b) muscle strength (often measured using hand grip strength); and (c) physical function (measured using gait speed). However, each consensus definition uses different combinations of muscle mass, strength and physical function to operationalize the definition of sarcopenia. Additionally, each group recommends various measures and cutoff points to capture these outcomes. For example, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) recommends appendicular lean mass for muscle mass, grip strength or chair stand for muscle strength, and gait speed, short performance physical battery, timed up and go, or 400-m walk test for physical function. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) uses DXA or BIA, grip strength and 6-m gait speed for muscle, strength and function, respectively. Using different consensus group definitions results in differences in the prevalence of sarcopenia, and there would be, at best, a modest agreement between the various definitions, which would be attributed to the lack of criterion standards.
SENIOR HOUSINGS AND COMMUNITY FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION AND HEALTH AMONG LOW-INCOME OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Park Sojung , Stone Robyn
Published: January 2025

The symposium aims to enhance the quality of life for low-income seniors in community-based housing in the US. The focus is on social connection, neighborhood resources, and community partnerships. Analyzing the 12-year-long national data, the first study used the synthetic difference in difference regression to compare social isolation and cognitive function in two groups of older individuals aged 70 and over. Residents in traditional housing were more likely to experience increased social isolation and decreased cognitive function than senior housing residents. Senior housing was protective, particularly for low-income older adults. A qualitative study on subsidized senior housing (SSH) in Baltimore City found some residents had a small network of connections; most were cordial but disconnected. Challenges related to aging, undesirable behaviors of others, and a desire for privacy limited social connections led to social isolation within the housing communities. Using A Geographic Information System approach, another study looked at SSH availability in New Jersey and its link to neighborhood disadvantage. SSH tends to be located in areas experiencing more significant economic deprivation, highlighting the need for government intervention to mitigate geographic disparities in SSH provision. The last study presented a case of Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit to address the displacement of older adults and improve the quality of life in senior housing. The presentation will cover COVID-19 outreach, lessons learned, milestones, and an emergency plan for Detroit’s older population. Our studies provides a rigorous basis for future research to identify factors and mechanisms for healthy aging among low-income senior housing residents.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF SENIOR SUBSIDIZED HOUSING IN NEW JERSEY: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPROACH
Authors: Amano Takashi , Park Sojung , Ryu Byeongju , Baek Jihye
Published: January 2025

Subsidized senior housing (SSH) offers a solution for low-income older individuals, enabling them to maintain economic stability and continue living independently. There has been limited investigation into the geographical distribution of SSH and its association with neighborhood disadvantage. This study seeks to address this gap by (1) describing the availability of SSH in New Jersey and (2) exploring the extent to which housing availability is linked to neighborhood disadvantage. SSH-availability was quantified by the number of SSH units within each census block group. Neighborhood disadvantage was measured using the area deprivation index (ADI). The eligible population was defined as residents aged 62 or older, living below the poverty line, and allocating 30% or more of their income to housing costs within the census block group. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed to visually analyze the spatial distribution of SSH, ADI scores, and eligible populations across New Jersey. Poisson regression was utilized to assess the relationship between SSH availability and neighborhood disadvantage, adjusting for the number of eligible residents. The results revealed a significant association between higher SSH availability and higher ADI scores after accounting for the number of eligible residents (p<.001). This suggests that SSH tend to be located in areas experiencing greater economic deprivation. These findings underscore the need for governmental intervention to mitigate geographic disparities in SSH provision for low-income older individuals. Additionally, further investigation is warranted to examine the accessibility of social and health-related resources surrounding SSH, which could support residents aging in place.
“YOU MUST BE LISTENED TO”: FACILITATORS FOR BABY BOOMERS’ SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN CANADA AND SPAIN
Authors: Valpuesta Dolores Majón , Levasseur Melanie
Published: January 2025

In Quebec (Canada) and Spain in 2021, the baby boomers represented more than a quarter (26%) of the population. To better support a shift in healthcare and social services, this cohort requires a reassessment of their social participation, a key determinant of healthy and active aging. Despite their committement to participation, little knowledge about what influence the social participation of this generation. This presentation aims to report results of two qualitative studies exploring the facilitators for social participation in the old age of the baby boom generation. These two studies were both carried out in Spain and Quebec with 53 individual and 12 group interviews, involving a total of 107 baby boomers and 52 community representatives. Perceived facilitators were related to: a) accessibility (welcoming environment, physical and emotional proximity, virtual to overcome transportation difficulties); b) availability (flexible participation without high commitment, from a critical viewpoint towards the responsibility of cares); c) positive image (being recognized, required and respected in intergenerational settings); d) socioeconomic and health status (low cost of activities, adaptation to limitations focusing on what you can still do); and e) motivation (feeling useful, helping others and impacting on the society, deciding freely according to their values, but questioning productive ageing models). The challenges associated with supporting attractive forms and opportunities of participation adapted to the needs of this new generation were also highlighted. Responding to these challenges implies creating spaces for interactive exchanges between the baby boomers and key social agents, with real translation in health promotion policies.
EXTENDING GERONTOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND THEORY THROUGH ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY METHODS
Authors: Grenier Amanda
Published: January 2025

Experiences of older people deemed to be ‘at risk or ‘in need’ of intervention are often viewed through professional classifications with corresponding ‘objective’ indices. Concepts such as frailty and mobility, which have come to draw international policy attention, and arguably shape understandings of aging, are also produced within disciplinary knowledge(s) and powerful practices that prioritize particular components over others. As critical perspectives have revealed, such processes can marginalize groups of older people, resulting in research that articulates counter positions based on disjuncture between classifications, responses, and experience. Yet, operating in the inter-disciplinary, bio-medical/technocratic, and applied contexts of gerontology, research findings themselves become sets of knowledge and discourse which are understood as binaries, with the associated sociological theoretical perspectives often marginalized in the process. This paper suggests that ethnographic case study methods can be used to better understand the social complexities of aging, including the framing and interpretation of experience(s), the everyday contexts where older people negotiate and enact relationships and lives over time, and the ways in which evidence is used to design and respond to (or deny) older people’s needs. It takes a critical position focused on the production of knowledge and the experiences of older people in the context of social, cultural, and political relations, arguing for methods which render visible the complex realities of aging that are constructed, experienced and lived through, in space and time. It outlines the ethnographic case study as one potential method to carry out this work, presenting examples on frailty and (im)mobility.
AGING ASSEMBLAGES: NEW MATERIALIST INSIGHTS IN THE SOCIOLOGY OF AGING
Authors: Gallistl Vera
Published: January 2025

In the last decades, scholars in gerontology and the sociology of aging have increasingly pursued overlapping ideas concerned with the materiality of aging. Central to these is the idea that studying materiality goes beyond a consideration of material objects, physical spaces, or aging bodies. Much rather, it has significant consequences for theory and methodology and hence offers a novel conceptual and empirical sociological lens for gerontology. In this paper, we put forward a new-materialist conceptualization of aging. Drawing on new materialist sociological theories, that have emerged in feminist sociology and the sociology of science and technology, we theorize aging not as an individual process, but as an aging assemblage that is distributed between humans, non-humans and more-than humans. We illustrate the fruitfulness of such a posthumanist understanding of aging by drawing on empirical examples from a qualitative case study on artificial intelligence in long-term care. We demonstrate how adopting a more-than-human perspective on aging offers unique pathways to understand how age-boundaries emerge through a complex interplay of actors and how these age-boundaries govern the unequal distribution of power and autonomy. By conceptualizing aging as an assemblage, we underscore the precarious nature of aging as a concept that is intertwined with complex systems of both situated difference and durable inequality, structural discrimination, and political and economic disadvantage. We conclude by discussing the implications of material gerontology for critical gerontology in an increasingly digitized and datafied world.
THE CONTRIBUTION OF SELF-REPORTED COGNITIVE HEALTH FOR INFORMING DAILY WELL-BEING AND FUNCTION ACROSS CONTEXTS
Authors: Stawski Robert , Cichy Kelly , Scott Stacey
Published: January 2025

Intensive assessment of experiences, health, and well-being in daily life have shown considerable value for understanding how our experiences shape proximal as well as distal health outcomes throughout midlife and older age. To date, stressors have been the most-oft studied experiences, while negative affect and physical symptoms have been focal indicators of daily well-being. Emerging research is emphasizing the import of experiences across different contexts, including social support provision and the work-family intersection, for shaping health and well-being. Further, self-reports of cognitive health (e.g., memory failures, cognitive complaints, cognitive interference, perseverative cognition) are emerging as an important dimension of daily well-being. Such reports are indicative of stress responses, relevant anxiety and depression symptomology, and dementia risk. Thus, self-reports of cognitive health represent a potential pathway for understanding links among daily experiences and health. The purpose of this symposium is to bring together these diverse operationalizations of cognitive health in daily life to illustrate its value and utility across different daily life experiences and contexts. Cichy and colleagues examine associations among daily social support provision and cognitive interference between persons and within persons across days. Chandler and colleagues examine associations between work-family conflict, cognitive interference, and memory failures among midlife adults in the Work-Family Health Study. Mogle explores age differences in individuals’ attributions for why they could not complete tasks in daily life. Stawski and colleagues examine associations among daily stressors, perseverative cognition, and mortality. Stacey Scott will facilitate discussion of the papers and offer insights for future research.
WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THAT TODAY?: EXPLANATIONS FOR INCOMPLETE INTENDED ACTIVITIES RARELY INCLUDE COGNITION
Authors: Mogle Jacqueline , Hill Nikki , Harrington Erin , Turner Jennifer , Nicholson Jody , Stawski Robert
Published: January 2025

Completing intended activities, such as household chores, relies on a variety of cognitive processes to plan and execute within our typical daily routine. However, when we fail to complete an intended activity, explanations for the lack of completion can span reasons that are explicitly (e.g., couldn’t concentrate) to implicitly (e.g., not feeling well) related to cognitive functioning. The current study used daily diaries to examine individuals’ explanations for not completing intended activities. Two hundred forty-six community-dwelling adults (Mage=49.1, range 20-79 years) completed evening reports in a 7-day diary study (Mdiaries=6.2). We examined whether likelihood of not completing any of eight intended tasks (e.g., physical activity, household chores, work-related tasks) and participant’s explanations for the lack of completion (e.g., couldn’t concentrate, forgot, not enough time) depended on age. Participants reported an incomplete intended activity on 49% of days (n=535) and the most common reason was not enough time (27%). Multilevel logistic regression revealed older adults were more likely to report incomplete intended activities compared to younger (OR=1.72, CI: 1.25-2.37) and to indicate lack of time (OR=1.57, CI: 1.14-2.18) or needing to complete something more important (OR=1.67, CI: 1.18-2.37). Reasons explicitly involving cognitive processes were reported on 9% of incomplete activities and did not differ across age (p=.99). These results provide insight into ways older adults may explain not completing activities without implicating difficulties in their cognitive functioning. We will discuss the explicit role of cognition in explanations individuals use that implicitly implicate cognitive difficulties to improve methods for assessing cognitive functioning.
PROFILE OF DIRECT CARE WORKERS ACROSS THE LONG-TERM CARE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS SECTOR
Authors: Kelly Christopher , Kemp Candace , Morgan Jennifer Craft
Published: January 2025

DCWs across long-term care are predominately women, people of color and disproportionally immigrants. About half have health insurance through their employer and about a quarter get health insurance through Medicaid or another means tested program. About half live under 200% of the poverty line. DCWs also face dangerous working conditions, persistent occupational segregation, have limited access to paid leave, and experience very little career advancement. As stated by Scales & Lepore (2020) “[direct care work] requires a mix of technical caregiving skills; health-related knowledge; infection prevention and control expertise; emotional intelligence and relational skills; and problem-solving and decision-making abilities, among other competencies (p. 173).” Despite highly meaningful jobs with high intrinsic rewards, the lack of extrinsic rewards including compensation, drive turnover. Turnover rates in long-term care have been persistently slow to recover since the start of the pandemic and the recovery has been most difficult for women and people of color. In this context, the use of agency staff, or those that are temporarily hired from staffing agencies to fill staffing shortages, has remained persistently high. Use of agency staff makes relationship-based, person-centered care difficult. Many residential care organizations have reduced the number of new residents because they do not have the staffing to accommodate them despite having available licensed beds. Using data from the 2020-2022 American Community Survey we examine trends among direct care workers (DCWs) in terms of job quality, occupation and industry. Persistent issues with churn, lack of career advancement, low wages, and few benefits remain.
CHANGES IN RESIDENT OVARIAN MACROPHAGES DURING FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE AGING
Authors: Ocanas Sarah , Poljanska Ewa , Isola Jose , Hubbart Chase , Stout Michael
Published: January 2025

Ovaries exhibit accelerated aging phenotypes, displaying aging hallmarks earlier than other organs. During pre-menopause, endocrine function declines, and the ovarian microenvironment becomes pro-inflammatory and fibrotic. However, the cellular mechanisms driving ovarian aging remain unclear, hindering the development of therapies to delay this process for overall health benefits. Macrophages are crucial in ovarian functions like folliculogenesis, ovulation, and corpus luteum formation. Ovarian macrophages have two origins: tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) from yolk sac and fetal liver progenitors, and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from bone marrow. In this study, we examined the transcriptomic profiles of ovarian TRMs in young (5-6 months) and older (12-14 months) Cx3cr1-NuTRAP mice. This mouse model uses a tamoxifen-inducible, cre-lox system to label nuclei and ribosomes, enabling DNA/RNA isolation without cell sorting. Flow cytometry confirmed the identity of eGFP-labeled cells, and translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) was used to assess age-related transcriptomic changes in TRMs. We found that TRMs exhibit inflammatory (e.g., IL1B) and senescent (e.g., CDKN2A) transcriptomic signatures, likely contributing to aging hallmarks such as T cell accumulation, multinucleated giant cell formation, and fibrosis. Translatability was established by comparing our data with publicly available human data. These findings suggest that ovarian TRMs play a critical role in ovarian aging, warranting future mechanistic studies.
BUILDING RESEARCH AND EVALUATION CAPACITY OF INTERGENERATIONAL INITIATIVES: EXAMPLES FROM THE FIELD
Authors: Halvorsen Cal
Published: January 2025

Conducting evaluations to assess the impact of projects, services, and programs is often a daunting task for nonprofit and grassroots organizations. More so, developing research projects that document the need for the work of these social-purpose organizations can be difficult for staff and volunteers busy with day-to-day responsibilities. This presentation will showcase an ongoing academic-organizational partnership created to increase the research and evaluation capacity of a national nonprofit organization and its network of nascent and established grantees bringing older and younger people together to work on major social and environmental issues. Topics addressed will be establishing and cultivating trusting and transparent relationships, developing a scope of work, using an organization-centric research capacity-building approach, engaging students in these efforts, and more. Further, specific examples of products from these research and evaluation projects will be shown to illustrate how to navigate the conflicting needs of academics on the tenure-track with those of community-based organizations. The primary implications of this academic-organization partnership are twofold: First, this model, piloted with an organization focused on fostering new intergenerational initiatives, can be used by gerontological researchers in a variety of fields to benefit the community while aligning with established academic expectations; and second, leaders within these nascent intergenerational initiatives have now learned how to conduct basic program evaluations within their own organizations, which should ultimately lead to the strengthening of programs that bring the generations together.
BRAIN HEALTH IN COMMUNITY: INVOLVING AND COLLABORATING WITH COMMUNITIES YIELDED UNEXPECTED INNOVATIONS
Authors: Gan Daniel , Wang Claire , Woronko Susan Liu
Published: January 2025

Funded by university-community engagement initiatives, this research aimed to understand and meet gaps in cognitive health promotion in diverse communities. The research team started with CONSULTATIVE conversations with activity providers and partnered older adults for analytic model specification and interpretation. As the focus groups progressed, the engagement fluidly progressed into an INVOLVEMENT marked by mutual respect for the distinct expertise of both parties and quick successions of knowledge exchanges, which led to two unintended innovations. Due to the trust built with key informants, older adults openly shared their unmet needs for a space to find meaning amid the challenges of aging. In response, a novel mindful discussion program was COLLABORATIVELY piloted with community organizations. Moreover, trust from older adults begot trust from activity providers and their sharing led to a simple eMental Health solution for closed-loop social prescribing. These insights on trust, engagement levels, and innovations are gained only in retrospect. Referencing these experiences, we reflect on the importance trust built with older adults as a catalyst for deeper engagements with service providers. Low-intensity consultations were more manageable at the start of the researcher-community relationship. More extensive engagements with older adults led to greater trust and mutual empowerment, and incidentally provided access to implicit knowledge held by activity providers which was crucial for innovation. Pivotal moments of knowledge spillovers were part of everyday activities in the community as researchers became embedded in relationality. Our experience underscores fluid engagement approaches that defy our best-planned intentions as lessons in decolonial knowledge cultivation.
ASSESSING THE INTEGRATION OF AGE-FRIENDLY DESIGN RESEARCH INTO THE DESIGN OF HEALTH CARE ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Calkins Margaret
Published: January 2025

Older adults account for roughly 2/3rds of all patient days in hospitals, and more than 90% of days in post-acute care settings. It is not just the care delivered by clinicians that determines outcomes. Different environments – organizational, social, as well as physical – also have significant impacts on a variety of health and well-being outcomes. Great strides have been made over the past two decades in the design of residential and care environments for older adults, and in the research that evaluates these designs. Research has examined these environments at many scales from overall design concepts (for example, the medical model versus residential design approaches) down to details such as the design of supportive handrails and hardware. This presentation will give a brief overview of this research and explore SAGE (Society for the Advancement of Gerontological Environments) Federation’s post-occupancy process for evaluating residential and care environments for older adults, which has been conducted annually for the past 20 years. However, much less focus has been paid to making other healthcare environments, particularly acute care hospitals, more age-friendly. The Island Health system in Vancouver, Canada, set out to change this and designed the Royal Jubilee Hospital to be age-friendly from pre-admission through discharge. The presentation will also explore the process that Island Health used for decision-making, and how this has influenced subsequent new construction.