bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neighborhood Disadvantage, Brain, and Neurocognitive Function: Relations Among Cognitively Normal Older Adults
Authors: Wright Regina , Bygrave Desiree , Waldstein Shari , Davatzikos Christos , Erus Guray 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Neighborhood disadvantage has been linked to poor health; however, research has not adequately examined its influence, across multiple domains of disadvantage, on neurocognitive function and underlying brain health in older adults. Thus, the objective was to examine associations between neighborhood disadvantage, brain health, and neurocognitive performance, and examine age and sex as effect modifiers. The analysis included 136 older adults with a mean age of 68.04y who underwent neuropsychological and psychosocial testing and 3T cranial magnetic resonance imaging. Neighborhood disadvantage was characterized using the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). Multivariable regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, education, and depression, showed that greater ADI score (greater disadvantage) was associated with poorer working memory performance (p&lt;.05) and lower hippocampal volumes (p&lt;.05), with no evidence of effect modification. Results suggest that greater neighborhood disadvantage may play a role in working memory and brain structure, which are vital to quality of life in older adulthood.
Actigraphic Measures of Sleep Quality Associated With Ambulatory Cognitive Performance in Older Adults
Authors: Buxton Orfeu , Zhaoyang Ruixue , Jiao June , Zimmerman Rachel , Sliwinski Martin , Derby Carol 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Few longitudinal studies link objectively assessed sleep and cognitive performance in ecologically-valid environments. Participants enrolled in the community-based Einstein Aging Study cohort (n=224, M[age]=77.17). Wake after sleep onset (WASO) was associated with worse cognitive performance with and without MCI (2-week smartphone-based EMA, six assessments/day). Models include age, gender, ethnicity, education, learning effects, sleep duration, WASO*MCI interaction (p=0.015 for Symbol Match; p=0.002 for Color Shape). Associations were stronger among those with MCI, thirty minutes more nightly WASO predicted a 500ms longer Symbol Match response time (p&lt;0.0001), 5.05% higher Color Dot error proportion (p=0.002), 0.184 points lower Color Shape accuracy (p&lt;0.0001). In those without MCI, WASO was associated with worse cognition: thirty minutes more nightly WASO predicted +166.7ms Symbol Match response time (p=0.03) and -0.06 points Color Shape accuracy (p=0.013). Actigraphic sleep quality associated with ambulatory cognitive performance (and worse with MCI status) suggests targets for prevention/mitigation of cognitive decline. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Sleep, Circadian Rhythms and Aging Interest Group.
Statewide Implementation of the Music & Memory Program: Facilitators, Barriers, and Lessons Learned
Authors: Kwak Jung , Ha Jung-Hwa , Britt Katherine 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The movement of evidence-based interventions into routine institutional settings like nursing homes is challenging. Among non-pharmacological interventions to address behavioral problems of residents with dementia, Music and Memory (M&M), a popular individualized music listening program, has been shown to have potential to improve quality of life among residents. To examine facilitators and barriers to implementation and sustainability of the M&M program in nursing facilities, a statewide (online and mail) survey of nursing homes was conducted in Wisconsin where the statewide implementation of the program occurred. The response rate was 41% (N=161). Descriptive statistics and content analysis were conducted. Over 80% of facilities provided the M&M program, and 86% of them planned to continue the program. The majority of respondents found the M&M to be beneficial to residents but also reported that the program was not equally effective for everyone, and M&M was time and labor intensive. Barriers to sustainability were: lack of buy-in by direct care staff, use of technology, costs of equipment, inconsistent volunteers, and families not supportive or helpful. Facilitators were: support of facility personnel, family, and volunteers; observing positive effects of program, M&M training provision and support, family involvement, and accessibility of equipment. Targeted resident selection is needed to identify the residents most likely to benefit from the program to avoid possibility of increased agitation or discomfort. Careful consideration is needed for facilities to identify realistic costs, labor, and staff buy-in to promote success.
Teaching Medical Students How to Ask Older Adults What Matters Using Simulated Patients
Authors: Mack Laurin , Cvengros Jamie , Emery-Tiburcio Erin 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
It is vital the workforce is prepared to meet the medical needs of our aging population. Asking older adults What Matters is an important aspect of excellence in clinical care. During a small group session in a two-year communication skills course, second year medical students (N=149) at Rush were taught how to ask What Matters as part of the 4Ms. Students then completed a video recorded Communication Skills Lab with a simulated older adult patient as they practiced how to discuss What Matters. Students then met with their instructors in individual feedback sessions to review the video and discuss strengths and areas for improvement in communicating with older adults. Students then completed a Clinical Skills Assessment for formal testing of their communication skills with older adults. Outcomes of the summative assessment will be presented and recommendations for integrating 4Ms into existing medical school and allied health curriculum will be discussed.
Equivalent Pathways? Comparison of Job History for High School Graduates Versus GED Recipients
Authors: Huang Wenxuan 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Successful integration into the paid labor market serves as a critical milestone to adulthood. Yet, this school-to-work transition has become harder to reach due to the increasing precarity in the youth labor market. Using data from the NLSY97, this study compares the job histories of young adults whose terminal education credentials are high school diploma versus GED. I conducted sequence analysis of school-to-work states from age 16 to 30 between these two education groups. Findings show that GED holders are more likely to be exposed to enduring negative labor force status (e.g., periods of unemployment) than the high school graduates. Over half of the GED recipients experience precarious early career characterized by interruptions and long-term inactivity. Despite being “equivalent” to a high school diploma, the GED diploma does not translate into the same opportunity structure as the high school degree, launching a cumulative disadvantage process in the early life course.
Financial Resources and Biomarkers of Aging in the National Health and Aging Trends Study
Authors: Samuel Laura , Roberts Laken , Boyce Danielle , Hladek Melissa , LaFave Sarah , Szanton Sarah 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Lower income and financial strain (i.e. difficulty making ends meet) are associated with worse aging biomarkers, but evidence among nationally representative samples is limited. This cross-sectional study tested whether income to poverty ratio (analyzed separately for those &lt;500% vs. ≥500% poverty threshold) and financial strain are associated with biomarkers of aging among NHATS participants aged ≥65 years (n=4,648), adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, gender, smoking, BMI, and diabetes diagnosis for hemoglobin A1c. Sampling weights were applied. Among those with incomes &lt;500% poverty, higher income was associated with lower hemoglobin A1c (b= -0.0196, p=0.007), CMV (b= -0.0689, p&lt;0.001) and CRP (b= -0.0428, p=0.012). Among those with incomes ≥500%, higher income was associated with lower IL-6 (b= -0.0001, p=0.023) and lower CMV (b= -0.0001, p&lt;0.001). Financial strain was not associated with biomarkers. Income is more strongly associated with biomarkers among the lower income group, calling for special attention to this vulnerable population.
The Impact of Social Support on Subjective Cognition Across Adulthood
Authors: Mueller Annalee , Minahan Jillian , Siedlecki Karen 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Increased age is associated with declines in objective cognition (OC). A related but distinct construct is subjective cognition (SC), which is an individual’s self-appraisal of their OC. Research shows that SC impairment is an important precursor to declines in OC (Sánchez-Benavidez et al., 2018). Research has also demonstrated a positive relationship between OC and social support (SS) across adulthood (La Fleur & Salthouse, 2017), but there is limited research on the relationship between SC and SS. Participants (N = 1,873; age range 18-99) from the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project completed assessments of multiple domains of SC, OC, and SS. Results from the current study showed a consistent, significant association between negative interactions with others and poorer SC (Betas ranged from -.077 to .103, p &lt; .05), beyond the influence of sociodemographic, well-being, and health factors. Our findings suggest that negative interactions may adversely impact one’s self-appraisal of cognitive functioning.
Geropsychology Workforce Development: Mentoring and Outreach by the American Board of Geropsychology
Authors: Mlinac Michelle , Smith Heather 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
To build workforce capacity and increase access to geropsychology services across the country, the American Board of Geropsychology (ABGERO) is engaged in efforts to promote competence in the specialty of Geropsychology. ABGERO developed a mentoring program to encourage psychologists to pursue board certification by demonstrating knowledge, skills, and abilities in delivering professional services to older adults. Mentors provide support around exam preparation, develop learning plans for psychologists new to the specialty, and help mentees consolidate their professional identities as geropsychologists. Candidates receiving mentorship include early career psychologists who completed geropsychology fellowships, mid-late career geropsychologists who seek board certification to be generative to the field, and psychologists looking to build expertise in geropsychology. For this latter group, clinical consultation groups were also created. Currently, 20 geropsychologists mentor 41 psychologists and 2 graduate students. Two geropsychologists have provided weekly consultation to 15 psychologists. Future implications for mentoring within geropsychology will be discussed.
Impact of Age Stereotypes on Older Adults’ Cognitive Performance: An Experimental View on Aging Consumers
Authors: Gröppel-Klein Andrea 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The “contamination hypothesis” (Rothermund and Brandtstädter, 2003; Levy, 2003) assumes that negative external stereotypes significantly influence the cognitive and functional well-being of older people. Negative stereotypes also play an important role in consumer decision-making and responses to sales talks. Two surveys in home environments, using a snowball-system, with subjects randomly assigned to the different conditions in a 2x2-design (age stereotype x time pressure, study 1: n=151, Mage=65, study 2: n=122, Mage=68) show that older consumers, primed with negative age stereotypes, are less effective in correctly evaluating the value-for-money-ratios of different offers), especially when they perceive time pressure (=moderator). Self-efficacy is identified as a significant mediator, explaining the impact of stereotypes on performance. Contamination via “talking down” to older consumers also occurs in sales talks. In a “vignette” experiment, patronizing (vs. neutral) communication impairs the cognitive performance (measured via recall of information) of older consumers (n=86, Mage=69,) and leads to dissatisfaction.
Kinlessness at Death: Examining End-of-Life Outcomes With Danish Registry Data
Authors: Mair Christine , Ornstein Katherine , Aldridge Melissa , Thygesen Lau 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Demographic changes that lead to “kinlessness” such as low fertility and low marriage rates are not a recent phenomenon for the countries of Northern Europe, such as Denmark. Characterized by small family sizes, high individualism, and a highly formalized healthcare system that is less dependent on family caregivers, Denmark presents a useful case study for the analysis of end-of-life outcomes among the “kinless.” We analyze the population of decedents aged 50 and older (N=175,755) using Danish civil registry data. Approximately 15% of those who died in Denmark had no living partner and no living child. Danish decedents’ family structures are associated with multiple end-of-life outcomes, including number of hospitalizations, ICU visits, and use of specific medical treatments—but not always in the direction hypothesized. Denmark’s highly formalized and individualized healthcare system may offer insight regarding healthcare reform in countries that have yet to complete the second demographic transition.
Social Networks and Dying at Home: Analysis of Outcomes From 13 Countries Using SHARE
Authors: Mudrazija Stipica , Ornstein Katherine 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Social networks are critical for end-of-life decision-making and hands on support and may also impact end-of-life outcomes including location of death. Yet we fail to consider these factors in the context of cultural values and variation in healthcare system financing and resources, e.g., availability of palliative care. Using SHARE, we examined the following factors for 6,391 decedents across 13 countries interviewed in the last year of life: family size, living alone, and size and characteristics of social networks. We compared these characteristics cross-nationally for persons dying at home as opposed to in hospital and other formal settings. While individuals with larger social networks are more likely to die at home, we find a cross-national gradient of higher unmet healthcare needs resulting in overall more home-based deaths. Our findings suggest that individual factors such as family availability must be considered in the context of country-level factors when examining quality end-of-life indicators.
Marital Effects in Later Life: Dyadic Approaches and Gender Differences
Authors: Stokes Jeffrey , Carr Deborah 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Marriage is a dyadic system, within which the characteristics and experiences of each partner can have implications for both. Moreover, gender of both spouses may impact these dyadic influences. The five papers comprising this symposium all take a dyadic approach to studying midlife and older couples, and how their effects on one another may vary by gender. Donnelly examines the consequences of precarious work among midlife couples, finding heightened risks for marital strain and divorce, depending on which gender spouse is exposed to precarious work. Garcia also analyzes gender differences – in this case, how the gender of a woman’s spouse may affect associations between daily marital strain and sleep quality, with only women married to men showing adverse sleep outcomes. Polenick and colleagues study the long-term repercussions of chronic condition discordance, finding that both individual-level and couple-level discordance had impacts for husbands’ and wives’ physical activity. Gallagher and Stokes focus on cognitive functioning within dyads, revealing gendered effects: Wives’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with their own (better) marital quality, while husbands’ poorer cognitive functioning was associated with wives’ (worse) marital quality. Lastly, Stokes and Barooah examine longitudinal dyadic associations between loneliness and vascular health, finding that own and partner’s baseline loneliness were associated with increased HbA1c levels only in the context of inferior marital support. Carr will assess the strengths and limitations of these papers, and discuss the contributions these studies can make to the field and to future research on marital effects and gender in later life.
Maladaptive Use of Autobiographical Memory by Bereaved Individuals Across Adulthood
Authors: Wolf Tabea , Strack Veronika , Bluck Susan 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Remembering one’s personal past can serve adaptive psychosocial functions (Bluck, Alea, & Demiray, 2010). Autobiographical remembering has been related to well-being in older age but little research has focused on grief. We address this issue in two studies grounded in the model of reminiscence and health in older adulthood (Cappeliez & O’Rourke, 2006). Participants (aged 18 - 91) completed the Reminiscence Functions Scale and the Inventory of Complicated Grief. Regression analyses show that negative self-related use of memories, but not positive use, is associated with experiencing more grief. Sharing memories with others (pro-social function) is indirectly linked to grief, as mediated by negative self-related uses. These patterns held for autobiographical recall in general (Study 1; N = 51) and when specifically remembering the deceased person (Study 2; N = 49). How adaptively individuals remember their personal past appears linked to the experience of grief, sometimes even years after the loss.
Remembering the Dying Days: Older Adults’ Final Memories From the Loss of a Spouse
Authors: Mroz Emily , Bluck Susan 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Memories from the very end of the life of a deceased spouse (i.e., their dying days) are frequently carried with the bereaved as major markers in their own life stories. The current study identifies functions of these memories. Older adults (age 70-96; N = 53) told two memories from their spouse’s dying days, then self-rated them for serving directive, social-bonding and self-continuity functions (TALE; Bluck & Alea, 2011). Those who found their loss more incomprehensible (ISLES; Holland, 2015) reported using these memories for directive (i.e., guidance of behaviors) and self-continuity (i.e., maintenance of a sense of self) functions more frequently (ps &lt; 0.05). This relation was, however, mediated by older adults’ current grief (ICG; Prigerson et al., 1995). Incomprehensibility of the loss of a spouse appears to lead to intense grieving, prompting individuals to draw on memories from the loss to maintain a sense of self and direct their future.
Co-Creating Culturally Nuanced Measures of Loneliness With Māori Elders
Authors: Waldegrave Charles , Cunningham Chris , Love Catherine , Nguyen Giang 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The growing international evidence on the impacts of social isolation and loneliness has profound implications for positive health status and wellbeing (Holt-Lunstad et. al. 2015). This raises important questions about how we measure loneliness, particularly in extended family cultures where loneliness may be experienced differently from western more individualistic cultures. In this research, key questions around loneliness and social isolation were co-created with Māori Elders and responses were compared with a standard international loneliness scale (De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale) to help identify universal aspects of loneliness and Māori specific aspects. The results demonstrated significant correlations between the co-created questions and the international scale. However, they also demonstrated substantial expressions of loneliness among older Māori that are not captured by standard scales showing the need for Māori specific scales which are more inclusive of their cultural norms and can provide more precise data for constructive policy making and service provision.
We’re Lesbian Pioneers- We Can Manifest Good Death: EOL Experiences of Older LGB Women Who Have Lost a Spouse or Partner
Authors: Valenti Korijna , Janssen Leah 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Preparing for end-of-life (EOL) and identifying support systems are ways older lesbian, gay, and bisexual women (LGB) women can assert agency over EOL. This paper presents qualitative data from a sample of older LGB women 60+ who have lost a spouse or partner. Thematic analysis revealed four main categories of concern: 1) advance care documents and wills; 2) interactions with healthcare professionals; 3) discussions about EOL; and 4) social network support. The work also analyzed participants’ discussions of how they have changed since losing a loved one and how they now view preparation for EOL. Findings reveal the need for better communication between healthcare professionals and LGB women, better understanding of care options (e.g. hospice, palliative care) and deeper EOL conversations among loved ones. This work critically engages queer gerontology, providing an important foundation of how to better understand how older LGB women perceive needs and preferences for their EOL.
On the Leading Edge of Longevity: Lessons From the MIT AgeLab 85+ Lifestyle Leaders
Authors: Miller Julie , D’Ambrosio Lisa 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The 85+ population is the fastest-growing age segment in the United States. Understanding attitudinal and behavioral trends among adults ages 85 and over is of increasing importance to researchers and practitioners alike. This symposium will present findings drawing on mixed methods across multiple domains of research with the Lifestyle Leaders, a bimonthly panel study of adults ages 85 and older at the MIT AgeLab, which began in September 2015. Each presentation in this symposium will highlight a different focus of research conducted with the Lifestyle Leaders, ultimately offering insights about physical health, social engagement, and civic engagement at age 85 and beyond. The first presentation in this symposium will frame Lifestyle Leaders’ resources and how these resources affect their perceptions of risks, their worries, and their well-being. Diving deeper, the second presentation will center on how Lifestyle Leaders perceive and utilize different transportation options and how these options have changed for them over time. The third presentation will focus on civic engagement and Lifestyle Leaders’ perspectives on technology as enabling or inhibiting their civic engagement and participation. The fourth presentation will examine Lifestyle Leaders’ attitudes toward medication, medication management, and technology-enabled medication management devices. This symposium will deepen attendees’ understandings of the attitudes and experiences of active octogenarians and nonagenarians.
Internal and External Resources of the Lifestyle Leaders
Authors: Raue Martina , D’Ambrosio Lisa , Patskanick Taylor , Rudnik John , Felts Adam , Miller Julie 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
With older age, people experience declines in resources and face new challenges. The goal of this study was to understand how resource decline affects the oldest olds’ well-being, but also to learn who they trust and where they go for advice in areas such as health, finances, and technology. This sample of 30 participants between the ages of 85 and 95 was generally resource-rich, scoring highest on self-esteem and optimism and lowest on mastery. Self-esteem and optimism correlated with financial resources, indicating a significant role of finances in this rather wealthy sample. Well-being was predicted by self-esteem and physical health. Presumably, their high levels of self-esteem compensate for the loss of other resources among the oldest old. The majority of lifestyle leaders trust in other people, and while friends and family are very important sources of advice, searching online was equally often mentioned as a source when looking for advice.