bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CAN YOU GET UP FROM THIS SOFA? SIT-TO-STAND POWER ASSESSMENT USING A SMARTPHONE DURING AGING
Authors: springer Shmuel , Baranes Guy , Hayek Roee
Published: January 2025

Middle-aged individuals may face mobility issues that cannot be detected by conventional assessments. Lower-extremity muscle power correlates significantly with mobility performance during aging. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether an assessment of lower-extremity power based on smartphone accelerometry data during the 5x sit-to-stand test (5xSTS) can provide additional information about subtle mobility limitations in midlife. Twenty-three young (25.0±2.5 years), 25 middle-aged (52.0±5.2 years), and 17 old adults (70.0±4.1 years) performed the 5xSTS test on a standard chair and on a sofa with a smartphone attached to their lower-back. STS duration was measured by the difference between the time at the end of the last stand and the time at the beginning of the first sit-to-stand, and lower-extremity muscle power (STSp) during the rising phase was calculated by multiplying body mass, acceleration, and velocity. No differences in STS duration were found between young and middle-aged adults on both the chair and the sofa, while significant differences were observed between young and old adults on both seating surfaces. STSp differed significantly between young and middle-aged adults on the sofa only (586.5 watts vs. 448.7 watts, p = 0.037), and between young and old adults on both the chair and the sofa (p=0.028 and p=0.011, respectively). These findings demonstrate the utility of the smartphone motion unit as a practical and efficient tool to identify preclinical mobility limitations in midlife during demanding tasks with the long-term goal of minimizing age-related functional decline.
RE-ENERGIZING GERONTOLOGY: BARRIERS TO PROGRAM GROWTH AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THEM
Authors: Sugar Judith , Sterns Harvey , Maiden Robert
Published: January 2025

With the growing population of older people in the U.S., it is more important than ever to increase the number of well-educated gerontology professionals. Beginning in 1972 with support from the Administration on Aging, resources were mobilized to establish and fund regional gerontology centers that would provide educational opportunities at all levels. Over the last 50 years, important work has been done to optimize the development of gerontology education. So it is ironic that at a time when we need more people to work with older adults, gerontology degree programs often struggle to enroll students. Low enrollments threaten the survival of existing programs. We have not done a good job marketing our field either inside or outside academia. We propose an effort to develop partnerships among like-minded organizations to promote the field and to attract funding to re-energize it. A coalition of partners needs to work with the employer community to convey the value of a gerontology education and ensure that graduates have the skills employers need. Accrediting gerontology programs and credentialing individuals can help to raise the profile of academic programs and graduates, and to assure employers that their employees bring the knowledge and skills to work with and for older clients, patients, and customers. The symposium presenters will engage attendees in a discussion of ways we can re-energize the field of gerontology to strengthen our academic programs and recruit more students to take advantage of the opportunities and meet the challenges of our aging population.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LONELINESS AND SELF-REPORTED HEALTH AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Deshmukh Madhyami , Martin Peter
Published: January 2025

Loneliness, health, and life satisfaction are important quality of life issues for older adults, but does having children indicate support in quality of life? The aim of this research is to examine the relationship of loneliness on self-reported health, and life satisfaction with number of living children as a moderator. Three recent waves (waves 10, 12, 14) of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used. A total of 14,252 individuals (Mean age = 73) participated in this study. Bivariate correlations and multiple regressions were computed. Results indicated that loneliness at wave 10 negatively correlated with self-reported health at all three waves (all r < = -.20, p <.05) and life satisfaction (all r = < -.22, p <.05). Similar results were obtained at wave 12 and 14, but the associations were stronger for each wave. Loneliness at wave 12 (but not at wave 14) was positively correlated with age. Life satisfaction at waves 10 and 12 was positively associated with age. The multiple regression indicated that loneliness predicted self-reported health (β = -25, p <.001). For life satisfaction, loneliness and number of children predicted life satisfaction (β = -.37 p <.001 and β =.33, p <.001, respectively). Contrary to our hypothesis, the number of children did not moderate the association between loneliness on self-reported health, and life satisfaction. Future implications could help guide better family health planning, better mental health of older adults and opportunities and action plans to informal family caregivers.
THE VA GERIATRIC SCHOLARS PROGRAM IMPACT ON CLINICAL INNOVATIONS: QI COMPONENT IMPACTS OVER THE PAST DECADE
Authors: Callaway-Lane Carol
Published: January 2025

Since 2009 one of the key components of the Geriatric Scholars Program (GSP) has been the Quality Improvement Workshop and Practicum, offering the fundamentals of improvement science to scholars and guidance through real-time improvement projects within rural clinical settings. The GSP has offered this component to a wide range of providers, starting in 2009 with prescribing providers and pharmacists, expanding to an interprofessional consortium including the initial professions as well as social work, psychiatry, psychology, and functional therapists and assistants. Impact on the aging Veteran population is demonstrated through completion of improvement projects at the local level with 79 national presentations completed from 2010 - 2024. This session will explore the evolution of the QI Program over the past decade and how the program has adapted to changes in audience type based on clinical training, presentation format for the workshop material, and impact on project topic and completion rates over time. Improvement projects throughout the years and their impact on the national push for High Reliability Organization (HRO) status will also be discussed.
BEYOND THE DYAD: A SCOPING REVIEW OF CORE COMPONENTS OF FAMILY-CENTERED CAREGIVING INTERVENTIONS
Authors: O’Sullivan Kelly , Jackson Alexandra , Park Sooyoun , Weaver Raven
Published: January 2025

Dementia prevalence is predicted to increase alongside the number of older adults, magnifying the demand for informal caregiving. While there are many effective caregiver interventions for people living with dementia and their care partners, most interventions focus on a single caregiver, overlooking the value of including other relatives in the caregiving process. Having education programs that expand beyond the traditional care dyad is crucial in meeting the needs of informal caregivers, especially considering ethnically and racially diverse populations whose cultures center around family. To explore these needs, we conducted a scoping review of 13 previously identified family-centered dementia caregiving interventions to 1) identify core components of these interventions, 2) how effectiveness was measured, and 3) the implementation and impact across cultural groups. We defined family-centered interventions as programs with at least two caregivers participating in the intervention. We initially identified 108 articles, and excluded 41 articles that were either not empirical studies or the intervention did not include at least two caregivers, yielding 67 articles for data extraction. Despite being family-based programs, interventions focused on the care dyad, offering only a few activities to engage multiple caregivers. Similarly, measures of effectiveness were at the individual level (e.g., caregiver burden or depression). However, many of these interventions were tailored and evaluated in multiple cultural groups. The identification of core components can assist with understanding active ingredients, serving as a foundation for programs that can be efficiently tailored to serve diverse families that rely on care involving multiple caregivers.
JOURNEYING BEYOND CARE: A CAREGIVER’S PERSPECTIVES ON AGING AND HEALTH PLANNING
Authors: Turner Shelbie , Cruz Roberta , Malone Carolyn , Epstein-Lubow Gary , Moreno Monica , Mroz Emily
Published: January 2025

Emerging research suggests that caring for an older family member influences how caregivers think about, anticipate, and plan for their own aging and health changes. In 2017, nearly all (91%) caregivers participating in the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging reported that being a caregiver made them think about their own needs for caregiving in the future. But the pathways between caregiving, planning for health changes, and (re)defining aging self-perceptions are complex. Research on these pathways benefits from collaborative partnership with individuals with lived experiences. In this special session, we will hold a conversation with Roberta Cruz, a caregiver for her mother who has been living with dementia since 2014. Roberta is a member of the National Institute on Aging’s IMPACT Collaboratory Lived Experience Panel and the National Alzheimer’s Project ACT (NAPA) Advisory Council. She is excited to bring her voice to the Gerontological Society of America for the first time. During this conversation, to set the stage, we will present descriptive findings on caregivers’ perceptions of their future from waves of the Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. We will hear Roberta’s perspectives on how caregiving can evoke positive and negative views on one’s own aging and health changes, and the extent to which caregiving can be reasonably expected to guide one’s own preparedness for aging and health changes. Roberta will reflect on the presentations in this symposium and offer insights for building successful partnerships with individuals with lived experience as this area of research expands.
CARERS, AGE, AND A NONINTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST DISCOURSE: THE (IN)VISIBLITY OF CARE IN US LITERARY FICTION
Authors: Trinkaus Eva-Maria
Published: January 2025

How do we want to be cared for and who do we want our carers to be? In this narrative analysis of US literary fiction, I am looking at intersectional inequality in the context of domestic work as care work (Folbre 2006). Focusing on overlapping aspects of aging studies and postcolonial studies, I trace care work in literary fiction back to the late 19th and early 20th century to look into the feminist shift of ‘new women’ leaving the domestic spheres to participate in a broader public discourse and thereby opening up a gap for ‘other’ workers to fill within the setting of care. In order to understand what constitutes a ‘good care’ or a ‘good care worker’ respectively, this contribution investigates the fictional representation of caregivers in literary texts in order to look at how intersections of multilayered marginalizing aspects – gender, race, class, age, education, among others (cf. Crenshaw 1991, Calasanti & Slevin 2002) – contribute to the undervaluing and under-recognition of care work, but do not necessarily affect its quality (cf. D’Ignazio & Klein 2023). By investigating dimensions of care work through literary fiction, this contribution aims at challenging the current esteem of care work, and contributes to a broader discussion of adding visibility and value to the professional field.
INTERSECTIONAL ENTANGLEMENT IN LIVING WITH DEMENTIA
Authors: Keller Valerie
Published: January 2025

Based on personal accounts of people living with dementia this study examines how people affected react on mechanism of societal exclusion such as pathologization, vulnerabilization and disempowerment. Although it has been called for citizenship of people affected in dementia activism and dementia studies for decades, public voices of people with dementia still remain unheard. The present study therefore examines intersectional entanglement of age and disability and highlights power structures which continue to silence people with dementia and exclude them from social participation. Furthermore, it will be outlined how people affected act at the margins not only to improve their own quality of life, but to achieve agency and to act as a social and political subject.
MAKING OLDER MIGRANTS NARRATIVES VISIBLE: AN INTERSECTIONAL ETHICAL ANALYSIS FROM AN AGING STUDIES PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Kainradl Anna-Christina
Published: January 2025

Despite their heterogeneity, the lives of older migrants are in many ways shaped by intersecting patterns of injustice (Ciobanu et al. 2017). In particular when it comes to health issues, the interplay of race, gender, class, nationality, and age often impedes access and effectiveness of health services for this population group. In order to better address these challenges, it is essential to shift from the dominant perspective of professionals and family members to that of older people with migration biographies (Tezkan-Güntekin 2020). In my paper, I explore findings from an intersectional ethical analysis of the care narratives of older migrants and professionals in the context of aging studies. The paper examines the extent to which the concept of intersectionality as an analytical lens for the narratives of older migrants brings in new perspectives to their negotiations of age(ing). In analyzing the potential of the concept of intersectionality within the aging studies framework, further insights and challenges of postcolonial perspectives for ethical analysis are discussed. This theoretical paper shows how we can further apply and develop the concept of intersectionality in order to better understand the care narratives of older migrants.
CAN LARGE MULTIMODAL MODELS INTERPRET HEALTH CARE INFOGRAPHICS IN DEMENTIA CAREGIVING MATERIALS?
Authors: Luo Zhimeng , Zou Ning , Xie Bo , He Daqing , Hilsabeck Robin , Aguirre Alyssa
Published: January 2025

Infographics are widely used in health education materials for patients and caregivers. As generative artificial intelligence like large multimodal models (LMMs) become increasingly used for content generation, there is a great need to understand if infographics could be used to train LMMs. Addressing such a need, we tested four LMMs, GPT-4V, Gemini-Pro-vision, LLaVA-1.6-34B, and CogVLM-17B, using 5 infographics designed for dementia caregivers as examples. Two independent coders analyzed LMMs’ interpretations of each infographic on accuracy (i.e., the number of model-generated key points that correctly matched those in an infographic divided by the total number of key points contained in the model-generated content) and completeness (i.e., the number of model-generated accurate key points divided by the total number of key points contained in the infographic). Agreement rate was high: Cohen’s kappa=0.8205. Differences were resolved through discussion. Across the 5 infographics, the average accuracy of GPT-4V, Gemini-Pro, LLaVA, and CogVLM was 99.0% (range: 94.4-100%; median: 100%), 83.1% (range: 63.3-100%; median: 81.8%), 76.3% (range: 45.5-100%; median: 81.7%), and 81.5% (range: 50-100%; median: 86.6%), respectively; average completeness was 93.7% (range: 68.8-100%; median: 100%), 53.7% (range: 15.2-77.8%; median: 65.5%), 65.7% (range: 14.3-100%; median: 70.1%), and 37.2% (range: 6.3-77.8%; median: 37.2%), respectively. Overall, GPT-4V significantly outperformed the other LMMs on completeness [F(3,16)=3.55; p=0.04]; no difference was found on accuracy [F(3,16)=2.20; p=0.13]. These findings shed light on LMMs’ abilities to interpret visual and textual data and their applicability in real-world settings like designing high-quality health education materials for patients and caregivers. We conclude with future research directions.
ENHANCING EQUITY TO QUALITY CARE FOR PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA IN RURAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF AGETECH
Authors: Freeman Shannon , Sousa Sarah , Banner-Lukaris Davina , Skinner Kelly
Published: January 2025

Older adults living with dementia in rural and northern communities deserve equitable access to technologies that enhances quality of life and supports aging in place. To explore contextual barriers and facilitators to implementation, we conducted a process evaluation guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework in a dementia care home newly opened in a rural and northern community. Through a partnership with the Center for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), health systems leaders, and community partners, multiple technologies designed to support persons who are aging (AgeTech) were purposefully implemented to enhance clients’ care and quality of life. AgeTech included a hydroponic gardening wall, circadian lighting, and a virtual exercise program. Semi-structured interviews were held with facility staff, health systems leaders, representatives from the AgeTech companies, and implementation leads and a secondary analysis of existing documentation was conducted. Barriers to AgeTech implementation included geographic context, complexity of dementia symptoms, and limited experiences by older adults with technology. Facilitators of AgeTech included collaborative partnerships with AgeTech companies, client interest and motivation, and creation of AgeTech educational resources. Results provide insights to inform planning and policy decisions for rural AgeTech implementation initiatives, highlight considerations for ongoing AgeTech innovation and describe the engagement of community partners in the process of integrating aging technologies. Persons living with dementia can greatly benefit from use of AgeTech to support their health and wellbeing. Successful and sustainable implementation of AgeTech is possible when the AgeTech enables, empowers, and engages persons to age well.
MEETING IN-PERSON NEEDS OF ELDERS LIVING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES BY UTILIZING APPS AND INTERNET ACCESS
Authors: Clayton-Jones Kate
Published: January 2025

Challenges and success for meeting the in person needs of elders living in rural communities by utilizing apps and internet access takes tenacity and workarounds as many rural communities lack community wide internet, WiFi or cell phone coverage that providers of care can access. This lack of infrastructure impacts everything from first responder access and communication to efficient routing and access to information and charting by providers while in the home providing care. This lack of infrastructure is an impediment to quality care and also employment opportunities. Rural communities typically have more older adults residing in them. These older adults benefit from in home care, especially with ADLs. Technology access allows people to work from home, on the road and live in rural communities. It is a win win in health care when rural communities embrace community wide communication access.
AN EXAMINATION OF STAFF SELF-EFFICACY MEASUREMENT IN THE PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION IN ASSISTED LIVING INTERVENTION
Authors: Dobbs Debra , Yauk Jessica , Meng Hongdao , Haley William , Peterson Lindsay , Buck Harleah
Published: January 2025

Advance care planning (ACP) is a necessary first step to meeting care preferences at the end of life and an important aspect of palliative care provision. ACP in assisted living (AL) is lacking for older adults living with dementia. A palliative care educational intervention found that only 12% of residents in AL living with dementia at baseline had documentation of (ACP) in their charts. Increased staff self-efficacy to have ACP discussions could potentially improve outcomes in ACP documentation. The current study is an NIH Stage 1b intervention using a sample of 23 nurses and administrators in 10 ALs to test if staff self-efficacy mediates the effects of increased documentation of ACP discussions. We estimated mediation models to examine whether staff self-efficacy (using a two-item scaled measure) mediates the relationship between the Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living intervention and ACP discussion rate. The PCEAL intervention had a positive impact on both staff self-efficacy and ACP discussion rate but the mediation results were not significant. In addition, an analysis of treatment fidelity ACP discussion checklists data showed the scores overall were lower than average (3.5 out of 7). We will discuss the differential scores between the self-reported increases from baseline to one-month (post-intervention) and lower than average observed treatment fidelity checklist scores of ACP Discussions by treatment staff and ways to improve the measurement of staff self-efficacy in future intervention research with staff who provide dementia care in assisted living settings.
FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF THE KINDER INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE HEALTHY CARE RELATIONSHIPS
Authors: Meyer Kylie , Yonashiro-Cho Jeanine , Kim Sohee , Benton Donna
Published: January 2025

Knowledge and Interpersonal Skills to Develop Enhanced Relationships (KINDER) is a psychoeducational intervention designed to prevent emotional-type elder mistreatment by family caregivers to persons living with dementia. Informed by evidence-based approaches in intimate partner violence, caregivers in this virtual 8-week course develop disease knowledge, communication strategies, and coping skills to manage sources of relationship strain. Components include facilitated group Zoom discussion sessions and asynchronous weekly readings and practice exercises, including story-based videos informed by caregiver focus groups. In this pre- and post-test study, we examine KINDER’s feasibility and preliminary efficacy. A total of N=45 caregivers enrolled from March 2023 to January 2024. Among participants, n=39 have already completed all data collection activities, including n=4 who were lost to follow-up and n=3 who withdrew (82% retention). The primary reason for withdrawal was believing the program was not relevant to their care situation. On average, study participants attended 2.4 of 3 Zoom discussion sessions (SD=0.7). Seventy-eight percent (78.1%) of participants indicated they completed asynchronous activities “all” (40.6%) or “most” (37.5%) of the time. Findings from paired t-test analyses of outcomes indicate a reduction in potentially harmful care behaviors (e.g., threatened to send family member to a nursing home; p=0.025). Consistent with the goal of the intervention, caregivers also reported improved relationship quality with the care recipient (p<0.001). All program completers indicated they were “very satisfied” (77.4%) or “satisfied” (22.6%) with KINDER. Findings from this pilot study demonstrate KINDER’s feasibility. Future research will rigorously test intervention efficacy and examine likely mechanisms of change.
ASSESSING THE CAREGIVING NEEDS OF ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER ADRD CARE PARTNERS
Authors: Yonashiro-Cho Jeanine , Mosqueda Laura , Gassoumis Zachary
Published: January 2025

Care partners (CP) are essential in supporting persons living with dementia (PLWD). Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) may be more likely to engage in caregiving and may cope with caregiving stressors in culturally-distinct ways, thus necessitating development of culturally-appropriate supports and interventions. This study explores CP needs and identifies potential targets for intervention among AAPI communities. Explanatory sequential mixed-methods analyses were conducted with AAPI dementia care partners (N=8) who took part in the Better Together Dementia Care study. Caregiving characteristics and outcomes data from quantitative surveys were paired with findings from a thematic content analysis of semi-structured interview data. Key informant interviews AAPI CPs and providers will also be analyzed. Participants included AAPI spousal (n=4) and adult child (n=4) CPs supporting a PLWD, including 4 who had recently experienced elder mistreatment. Due to their emigration (n=3), spousal caregivers reported a lack of instrumental caregiving support from extended family. In child-parent dyads, PLWDs had lost their partners due to death (n=3) or divorce (n=1). PLWDs varied in relational and emotional closeness with children. Preliminary findings highlight the diversity of CP experiences. Romantic partners may serve as the preferred “default” CP; in their absence, adult children may relied upon more heavily. While traditional API cultures often emphasize a child’s duty to care for elders, acculturated older adults may prefer to receive care from their partner whenever possible. Findings also suggest immigrant CPs and CP-PLWD dyads may benefit from culturally-specific instrumental supports to supplement the emotional support provided from family members overseas.
RESISTANCE TRAINING EXERCISE FOR THE REHABILITATION OF OLDER ADULTS: A FUNCTION PROMOTING THERAPY WITH ROBUST TREATMENT RESPONSE HETEROGENEITY
Authors: Fielding Roger
Published: January 2025

Advancing age is accompanied by well described reductions in muscle strength and power that are associated with deficits in physical functioning and mobility limitations. Both high and slow velocity progressive resistance exercise training have been shown to improve muscle strength and physical functioning in older adults. In combination with aerobic exercise, resistance exercise can also reduce the risk of major mobility disability. However, despite the overall positive effects exerted by exercise on multiple domains of health and physical functioning, a robust response heterogeneity to exercise training in older adults has been consistently observed. Factors influencing exercise response heterogeneity (ERH) include exercise adherence, sex, age, comorbid conditions, baseline levels of strength and function, and unknown biological factors. Future studies need to interrogate the underlying biological mechanisms associated with ERH. As plausible mechanisms emerge, more personalized approaches may be tailored to optimize the beneficial effect of exercise for all older adults.
CLINICIAN PERCEPTIONS OF UNMET SOCIAL NEEDS AMONG OLDER VETERANS: THE ROLE OF RURALITY
Authors: Ream Molly , Polacek Laura , Moye Jennifer , O’Malley Kelly , Baird Lola , Bashian Hannah , Kaiser Anica Pless
Published: January 2025

Some older Veterans experience unmet social needs due to factors such as poor health, restricted mobility, and living in rural settings. We surveyed clinicians treating older adults (age>60) at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals to 1) determine differences in unmet social needs by rurality, 2) explore clinicians’ perceptions of social facilitators and challenges, and 3) assess clinician interest in delivering a group-based intervention: Enhancing Social Functioning for Older Veterans with PTSD (ESVP). We surveyed 84 VA clinicians who self-reported the percentage of their caseload that was rural, which we dichotomized as rural (>=50% rural; n=52) or urban (<50% rural; n=32). Likert-type items assessed the frequency clinicians encountered unmet social needs. Linear regression assessed urban versus rural differences in unmet social needs. We explored descriptive statistics of social facilitators and challenges and interest in delivering ESVP among rural clinicians. Rural clinicians reported greater unmet social needs among Veterans compared to urban clinicians (lack of social support (t(73)=3.10, p=.003); low social engagement (t(73)=2.05, p=.044); loneliness (t(73)=2.61, p=.011)). Yet, among rural clinicians, there were high reports of social facilitators, including close-knit communities (62%), value in helping others (60%), and resiliency (69%). Rural clinicians reported social challenges including fewer engagement options (83%), distance between people (67%), and value of stoicism (60%). There was high interest in delivery of ESVP among rural clinicians (80%). Rural clinicians reported significantly greater unmet social needs among older Veterans compared to urban clinicians. There was high interest in ESVP, which may enhance social functioning among this critical population.
INCLUDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: LESSONS FROM AN INDIGENOUS DEMENTIA PROJECT
Authors: Ketcher Dana , Blind Melissa , Warry Wayne , Pitawanakwat Karen , Budreau Josyaah , Dertinger Melinda , Williams Mikaela , Jacklin Kristen
Published: January 2025

When conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR), the community can be left behind when it comes time to analyzing qualitative data. Little has been written on how qualitative research can rigorously and effectively include community perspectives and interpretations during data analysis. When conducting CBPR and/or research with historically marginalized and oppressed communities, incorporating community perspectives during analysis is especially important to assess researcher biases, de-center Western research paradigms/assumptions, and incorporate community values/worldviews. While scholars have written about incorporating Indigenous paradigms and methodologies into the various stages of research, less has been written on the exact steps teams can take to incorporate community members in the qualitative data analysis process. At our academic research center, we seek to create a more inclusive, relational, Indigenized, and decolonized approach to qualitative analysis. We have developed a qualitative analytic framework that intentionally includes community-based researchers and community advisory members, often without qualitative experience, from partner Indigenous communities. For this paper, we will describe our team’s iterative qualitative analysis approach as it relates to a multi-sited, international, ethnographic study of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among Indigenous North American communities in the Great Lakes region. By diversifying the perspectives present during qualitative analysis, we work to center the Six Rs of research: respect, relationship, representation, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility (Tsosie et al. 2022). As a result, we seek an ethical space to learn from both academic and community partners to ensure our approach is respectful and reflective of community and cultural values, while also being methodologically rigorous.
AMPLIFYING VOICES: DIGITAL STORYTELLING TO EXPLORE AGING IN THE RIGHT PLACE WITH HOUSING PRECARIOUS OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Mahmood Atiya , Hosseini Sogol Haji , Nanjiba Nushaiba , Fan Jason , Canham Sarah
Published: January 2025

Digital storytelling (DS) offers an innovative qualitative approach to explore the intricate narratives surrounding aging in the right place (AIRP) for older adults with experiences of housing precarity. We engaged three participants as co-researchers to co-create a story of their life-course narratives through participation in a photovoice study followed by the development of a DS video. Study participants live in affordable rental housing with onsite supports in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Central to our DS methods is the co-creation format where our co-researchers actively shape the narrative through qualitative interviews, photographs, and video footage of the socio-spatial context of their housing highlighting the multifaceted dimensions of AIRP. The integration of photovoice photographs within the DS serves as a visual anchor, providing nuanced insights into participants’ lived experiences and aspirations regarding their current and ideal living environments. Their stories demonstrate that a combination of social, environmental, and organizational factors, as well as an interweaving of objective and subjective aspects of their housing and service experiences contribute to their stability, social integration, and well-being as they AIRP. This type of co-creative project not only serves as a means of knowledge mobilization, but also fosters dialogue and reflection between co-researchers, service providers and researchers. DS methods have the transformative potential to amplify the voices of marginalized older adults, highlighting their unique housing experiences and advocating for inclusive policy measures that prioritize their diverse needs.
SOCIAL INVISIBILITY OF ELDER ABUSE IN FAMILIES: A PHENOMENON IN PHILIPPINE SOCIETY
Authors: Oyales Carmelina , Apuan Victoria , Motilla Ronaldo
Published: January 2025

In a country where the prevailing culture puts a premium on respect and care for the elderly, elder abuse is an interesting phenomenon. The study focuses on elder abuse and the different forms of abuse occurring in Filipino communities. A qualitative study composed of individual interviews of 10 victims of elder abuse were undertaken. The aim is to explore the thoughts, feelings, sense of self, family dynamics and coping strategies of the abused. Further, data on the socio-cultural and economic risk and protective factors in the community and local government, the perspectives of 32 members of local government and social welfare institutions were gathered through focus group discussions in 5 localities. Narrative and content analysis yielded the following results: that elder abuse is a multifaceted and complex experience for the victims. Elder abuse victims suffered initial shock, denial, indignation, depression, and for some, learned helplessness. The most frequent type of abuse were emotional and psychological abuse, neglect, abandonment and financial exploitation. Poverty and ageism were an exacerbating factor. Actions to access local support mechanisms and interventions were absent or delayed due to the secrecy of the families regarding the phenomenon, as well as the lack of reporting and monitoring mechanisms on the community level.

Keywords: elder abuse, aging population, ageism, poverty, senior citizens human rights Aging Among Asians Interest Group Sponsored Symposium
CO-CREATING A VIRTUAL REALITY IN HOSPITAL WITH PATIENT AND FAMILY PARTNERS AND STAFF FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH DEMENTIA
Authors: Hung Lillian , Mortenson Ben , Lim Angelica , Boger Jennifer , Mann Jim , Wong Lily , Ren Haopu (Lily) , Soni Albin
Published: January 2025

Growing evidence suggests that Virtual Reality (VR) is promising to improve the wellbeing of older patients in dementia care units in hospitals. However, older patients are often excluded from VR opportunities. Engaging patient partners, family caregivers and staff in co-creating VR program shows potential in addressing unique needs of older patients, supporting staff in implementation, and enhancing understanding complexity in clinical settings. However, literature that describes fulsome partnership with abovementioned joint stakeholders in the co-creation process is absent. The study aims to understand psychosocial needs of older adults with dementia in hospital and how VR could be best implemented in the complex clinical setting. Drawing principles of Collaborative Action Research (CAR) and applying an equity and inclusive lens, we conducted qualitative focus groups, co-design workshops and interviews with 46 stakeholders (7 patient partners, 8 family caregivers, 19 staff members and 12 leaders) in hospital. Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) informed our data collection and analysis. We identified three key themes to co-create a VR program for older adults with dementia in hospital to address their psychosocial needs and facilitate staff’s implementation, acronymized as

aim

1) Approach matters; 2) Interactiveness; and 3) Multi-sensory stimulation. Our results underscore the imperative of engaging joint stakeholders in co-creation for older adults with dementia in hospital to address their psychosocial needs with VR, who deserve digital equity but are traditionally underrepresented in technology program development and implementation. This study contributes valuable insights into the future development and deployment of VR in geriatric care settings.
WILLS, WEALTH, AND RACE
Authors: Aubry J P , Wettstein Gal , Munnell Alicia
Published: January 2025

Inheritances make up a substantial share of national wealth, but are often overlooked in discussions of retirement security. Racial gaps in inheritances are likely to exacerbate racial disparities in wealth. One reason that Black and Hispanic decedents are less likely to pass down meaningful estates is that they are far less likely to have a will than non-Hispanic Whites. This paper documents racial gaps in receiving an inheritance, in the likelihood of having a will, and in the expectation of leaving significant bequests. The analysis then looks at the relationship between bequest expectations and realized bequests to see whether expectations are a good predictor of real outcomes. The results show that Black and Hispanic decedents and those who die without a will are less likely to achieve their bequest expectations. This paper is the first of a three-part series. The second part will be a survey to see if a plausible intervention might increase the adoption of wills, whether writing of a will increases intended bequests, and, in conjunction with the estimates of this paper, whether wills would likely increase realized bequests. The third part of the project will examine the impact of will incentives on racial wealth gaps when compounded across multiple generations.
VOLUNTEERING AND EPIGENETIC AGE AMONG RETIRED AND WORKING OLDER ADULTS: EVIDENCE FROM HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY
Authors: Kim Seoyoun , Halvorsen Cal , Potter Claire
Published: January 2025

Biological aging, distinct from chronological age, shows significant intra-individual variations particularly in later life. Volunteering, a modifiable lifestyle factor, correlated with improved physical health outcomes. Recent studies suggest a potential link between frequent volunteering and slower epigenetic aging, crucial in understanding biological aging mechanisms. However, changes in volunteering, selection biases, and life transitions impact this association. Using the 2014-2016 wave of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), including DNA methylation (DNAm) assays from the Venous Blood Study, we analyzed volunteering frequency (both contemporaneous and cumulative) and five DNAm clocks (Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPoAm) in working and retired individuals. Each DNAm measure was regressed on chronological age and cell types and was standardized for ease of comparison. We also considered selection into volunteering in 2014 via Inverse Probability Treatment Weighting. Findings show that low to medium level volunteering (1-50 hrs per year) predicted slower aging for Horvath and Hannum clocks, while GrimAge and DunedinPoAm showed deceleration with higher level volunteering (100+ hrs per year). Further, higher cumulative volunteering index was related with slower epigenetic aging acceleration for all clocks. Stratification by retirement status revealed nuanced effects, with higher volunteering hours being more beneficial for workers in GrimAge and DunedinPoAm. These findings indicate volunteering’s net effects on epigenetic age among older adults. However, frequent volunteering might be more protective against epigenetic age acceleration among workers compared to retirees. Understanding these dynamic relationships offers insights for public health interventions to decelerate biological aging and extend healthy life expectancy.
IDENTIFYING AND MAPPING RURAL VETERANS’ GERIATRIC NEEDS AND RESOURCES
Authors: Dadgostar Porooshat , Kelley Lynette , Dryden Eileen , Moo Lauren , Intrator Orna , Hung William
Published: January 2025

Veterans in rural areas often lack access to specialized geriatric care and may struggle to reach distant VA facilities for treatment. To better understand the regional needs of aging rural Veterans, this project aims to identify regional needs and resources for geriatrics services to guide future expansion efforts. We describe efforts to identify and map Veterans’ utilization of geriatrics services in three states with large rural populations (Wisconsin, Montana, and Hawaii) to help the VA improve targeting of these resources. By examining utilization data in these three states, we try to pinpoint local areas where there are gaps in services and where Veterans may have unmet geriatric needs. We utilized data from the Geriatric Extended Care Services Data Analysis Center (GECDAC), VA’s comprehensive population-based dataset for geriatric services. To develop these maps, we collected information on over 130,000 Veterans residing in the three states and obtained their sociodemographic variables and risk measures, including frailty, number of falls, Care Assessment Need (CAN) Score (estimated probability of hospitalization or death within 90 days or 1 year), dementia, long-term institutionalization risk, and use of Beers medications (potentially harmful medications for older adults). We observed the number of Veterans using different geriatric services, including geriatric ambulatory care, geriatric inpatient care, residential care, home and community-based care services, personal care services, facility-based care, and Hospice care. These data will form the basis of the “business case” for local leaders and the VA Office of Rural Health to expand geriatric services where they are most needed.
“THE HARDEST JOB IS A HOSPITAL DIRECTOR”: LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES PRIORITIZING RURAL GERIATRICS IN THE VA
Authors: Kelley Lynette , Franzosa Emily , Dryden Eileen , Moo Lauren , Hall Lauren , Hung William
Published: January 2025

The Veterans Health Administration, like other health systems, faces the challenge of meeting older rural Veterans’ needs. VA leaders must balance these complex needs with other local priorities, and, at the same time, a large number of national directives. Little is known about what influences the process of setting priorities and making decisions from the standpoint of healthcare leaders. We aimed to better understand how healthcare leaders weigh priorities of the health system and how their processes in turn impact the prioritization of services. We interviewed 11 recently retired local, regional and national health system leaders about their experience and how priorities in health systems can be aligned to improve the quality and reach of rural geriatric care. All leaders agreed that the highest priority is always Veteran access to high-quality care (national mission) but noted differences in what that might look like within their own settings (e.g., prioritizing the expansion of certain specialty care or clinics depending on the population). Leaders described how they weighed multiple competing priorities to decide what was of highest urgency to serve their local Veteran population while balancing national directives. Local leaders described juggling multiple administrative, clinical and leadership responsibilities daily; regional and national leaders in oversight positions agreed that the complex interplay between national and local needs may leave local leaders feeling overwhelmed. We map our real-world data to standard leadership priority frameworks, highlighting gaps between theory and practice to identify effective and practical leadership strategies.
INTEGRATING EMERITI PROFESSORS INTO AN AGE-INCLUSIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Authors: Gautam Ramraj , Melillo karen Devereaux , Abdallah Lisa
Published: January 2025

Engaging retired faculty is at the forefront of the Age-Friendly University (AFU) principles and the community domain of the Age-Friendly Inventory and Campus Climate Survey (ICCS) (Silverstein, et al., 2022). Engaging Retired/Emeriti Professors (REP) at UMass Lowell (UML) began in 2020 when the ICCS survey identified “involving retired faculty in university activities” (AFU Principle 9) as an area for improvement. In turn, we surveyed the UML REP in 2021. In 2022, a sequential mixed method study overwhelmingly showed REP’s interest in intergenerational learning activities (IGL), supporting the AFU principle 4 (promote IGL between learners of all ages). An IGL activity was designed in the undergraduate Introduction to Gerontology course, where a team of five students conducted two one-hour online interviews with a REP. This presentation reports findings of students’ open-ended responses regarding their experience and the impact this IGL activity had on their attitudes/perceptions of aging. This University IRB-approved study sample included 94 students. Qualitative content analysis coding (Vaismoradi et al., (2016) was performed by three authors, to reach a consensus on individually identified themes. The findings revealed two major themes: Positive attitudes and perceptions towards aging; and a greater understanding of life in retirement. Likewise, the open-ended responses revealed most students (75%) expressed having a positive attitude and perception toward older adults while about 25% expressed either neutral or limited impact. These findings will be discussed in relation to the valuable role REP can play in intergenerational learning activities within the University while fostering a more age-inclusive environment.
SUPPORTING LATE AND POST–CAREER STAGE FACULTY: AGE-INCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Montepare Joann , Gomez Rowena , Sterns Harvey
Published: January 2025

Our populations are aging nationally and locally at dramatic rates as we experience extended longevity, with significant implications on many fronts. With higher education employing a greater proportion of individuals over the age of 65 relative to the general labor force, more faculty will be moving into their late and post career stages at their institutions in the coming years. Thus, campuses are natural environments where long-time faculty members are “aging in the workplace.” For organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) and GSA, many of its members are affiliated with higher education and are part of this demographic trend. Aiming to inform our professional organizations about how they can better support these (and other) members, this presentation will describe the results of a survey of 391 APA members (age 52+) who responded to questions about how the association could support members’ professional development, retirement experiences, and opportunities for further engagement and support. A variety of recommendations emerged that can be translated easily to opportunities for GSA (e.g., develop dialogue and related programming around members’ career transitions and retirement planning that speak to financial challenges and physical or medical concerns, as well as sustaining professional contributions and maintaining social and emotional connections with colleagues at similar career stages). We as scholars in the aging field know well the value of a lifespan development lens, which we now need to use in a more self-reflective way in connection with our professional organizations.
AGE DIFFERENCES IN THE CORRELATES OF PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG BREAST AND COLORECTAL CANCER SURVIVORS
Authors: Krok-Schoen Jessica , Nikahd Melica , Hyer Madison , Arthur Elizabeth , Stevens Erin , Brasky Theodore , Saligan Leorey , Von Ah Diane
Published: January 2025

Few studies evaluated the differential impact of cancer-related symptoms in older patients compared to younger patients. This national cross-sectional study explored the age differences (21-64 vs. ≥65 years) in the demographic, health, and social correlates of pain and quality of life (QoL) among 621 breast and colorectal cancer survivors. Median pain and QoL scores did not differ between the younger and older groups (p-values = 0.80, 0.16, respectively). Higher pain for the whole sample was associated with more education (β = 5.3, p = 0.02) and higher perceived stress (β = 2.4, p < 0.001). Higher QoL was associated with employment (β = 0.8, p = 0.003), more social support (β = 0.4, p < 0.001, 5-point increase), and advanced cancer stage (β = 0.7, p = 0.04). The association of QoL and marital status differed by age; younger, married participants reported higher QoL, and older, married participants had lower QoL (p = 0.003). Among younger and older cancer survivors, our results indicate more similarities than differences in the symptom burden.