bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Uncertain Times: A Continuing Care Retirement Community's COVID-19 Communication Response
Authors: Fisher Kathleen , Sefcik Justine , Coates Martha , Shim Minjung , McEachron Don , DiMaria-Ghalili Rose Ann 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore conversational video recordings by top administrators from a faith based Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) to help residents, staff, and family members manage the associated uncertainties of the pandemic. Six interdisciplinary researchers explored 37 video communiques from March 2020 to February 2021. Data was independently coded using latent content analysis with the team building consensus on major themes. Themes identified were: Building Trust through Transparency, We’re in this Together, Power of One/Individual Responsibility, Converting Challenges into Teaching Moments, and Gratitude/Resilience. Findings suggest attempts to inform, reassure, and encourage maintaining a safe environment (e.g., using masks, restricting visitors, vaccine promotion) for residents, staff, and family members, was met through these conversational videos. Leadership of this CCRC exemplified the mission to provide transparent information during the pandemic, serving as a model to inform other CCRCs’ communication during this pandemic and other crisis situations.
Strategies to Design Technology Promoting Social Participation of People With Dementia and Their Caregivers
Authors: Wolf-Ostermann Karin , Flanagan Jane 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Community-dwelling people with dementia and their caregivers face increasing challenges to active social participation as the condition progresses. Potential difficulties include disclosing the condition, navigating through available support and sustaining interpersonal relationships. Dementia-friendly support services and interventions targeting caregiving dyads can promote social participation. Interventions serve as a communication channel for the dyads to engage, interact and partake in their community. Technology as a facilitator is gaining momentum; increasing evidence suggests that technological solutions contribute to promoting social health for people with dementia and family caregivers. Patient and public involvement and rigorous evaluations of solutions are needed to ensure successful implementation of dementia-friendly technologies. This symposium, presented as a part of the Marie-Curie Innovative-Training-Network action, H2020-MSCA-ITN, grant agreement number 813196, comprises four pertinent presentations. The first presentation outlines the effectiveness of technological interventions to improve social participation of older adults with and without dementia, and barriers and facilitators these interventions present. The second presentation describes disclosure decisions faced by dyads and Patient and public involvement findings on how an existing empowerment intervention supporting disclosure decision-making can transfer to an online environment. The third presentation reports on findings from a study evaluating a tablet-based activation system designed to engage caregiving dyads in social sessions. The final presentation lifts the focus towards how existing online environments can be adapted through dementia-friendly privacy policy agreements, and thereby support social participation of this user group online. Our discussant, Jane Flanagan, synthesizes the presentations and leads a discussion of future directions for policy and practice.
Technology-Driven Dyadic Interaction Support for Community-Dwelling People With Dementia and Family Caregivers
Authors: Hoel Viktoria , Wolf-Ostermann Karin , Steinert Lars , Shultz Tanja 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
People with dementia and their family caregivers struggling with the impacts of the condition on cognitive abilities, experience deterred social interactions and strained relationships. Technology can potentially sustain the relationship by engaging dyads in joint activities and supporting their interaction. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a tablet-based activation system, I-CARE, specifically designed to engage people with dementia in meaningful activities. In this intervention, community-dwelling people with dementia and their family caregiver engaged in joint activities supported by the I-CARE system. Quantitative measures on quality of life, relationship quality and caregiver burden are collected, while semi-structured interviews explore the impact of Covid-19, as well as what motivates the participants to invite technology into their dyadic interactions. Our findings provide important insight in how technology can support social health and relationship sustenance of dyads living with dementia, and what implications Covid-19 has for their social participation in society.
Psychological Risk and Resilience of Older People’s Exposure to Climate Change
Authors: Antonucci Toni 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Climate change places older people at physical and psychological risk. Even small changes in temperature (+/- 1 degree) results in increased morbidity and mortality. Further, the burden of climate change is not borne equally. The stress and mental ill health associated with disasters are especially borne by women, older adults, persons of color, low-income populations, those with preexisting conditions, poor support networks, and those residing in sub-standard housing. Older people are disproportionately represented in these groups, but interventions can ameliorate these risks. At the same time, older people, with the wisdom of experience, can be important assets for families and communities struggling with the effects of climate change. Both addressing the vulnerabilities and enhancing the strengths of older people can serve to meet the immediate needs and the long-term SDGs goals of (3) health and well-being (5) gender equality (10) reduced inequalities (11) sustainable cities and communities (13) climate action.
Subjective Age Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Terracciano Antonio 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Aging is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. In this study, we tested whether the pandemic influenced how old individuals felt by examining longitudinal within-person changes in subjective age. We tested two alternative hypotheses: (a) people felt increasingly older in response to the stress generated by COVID-19; (b) people felt increasingly younger due to psychological distancing from older age. We tested these hypotheses in a large US sample of adults assessed once before and twice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multilevel analyses indicated that people reported feeling younger with the emergence of COVID-19. We further tested demographic, health, and psychosocial predictors of changes in subjective age. Overall, the findings supported the hypothesis that subjective age partly reflects a coping process of psychological distancing from older age, a process that parallels physical and social distancing.
Oral health-related quality of life in Colombian Older Adults
Authors: Osuna Margarita , Suarez Piedad , Ailshire Jennifer 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Despite its importance for health and wellbeing, oral health quality of life (OHQoL) has received little attention in lower-income countries, such as Colombia. This study describes the prevalence of older adults’ OHQoL and variability by socioeconomic status. We use data from the 2015 SABE-Colombia (N=18,700), a nationally representative survey of community-dwelling Colombians ages 60 and older. We used the Simple Count Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (SC-GOHAI), a self-reported measure of frequent oral health problems such as chewing, swallowing, and speaking designed to assess OHQoL. The scale ranges from 0-12; higher scores indicate worse OHQoL. About 69% of older Colombians reported at least one OHQoL problem. The most common issues were difficulty chewing hard food and speaking. High education and income were associated with better OHQoL and smoking were associated with worse OHQoL. Oral health may therefore reflect another dimension of social and health inequality for older Colombians.
The Influence of Gendered Social Position on Cohort Differences in Smoking Among Older Mexican Adults
Authors: Milani Sadaf , Avila Jaqueline , Wong Rebeca 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Disparities throughout the life course, including social position, result in gendered pathways to health, which ultimately result in gender disparities in late life. Using data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, we explore the concept of gendered social position over the life course (educational achievement, marital history, employment history) and its association with smoking status in old age (current, former, never). We compare two cohorts by gender, those aged 60 to 71 in 2001 (n=4,383) and 60-71 in 2012 (n=5,970), as these cohorts experienced vastly different life courses. Overall, current smoking decreased from 2001 to 2012, but men consistently report higher rates of current and past smoking, compared to women. This presentation will widen the lens of gender to consider the influence of social position established over the life course, on gender differences in smoking, a risk factor for poor health and function in old age.
The Life Course Origins of the Race Disparity in Cognitive Functioning in Brazil
Authors: Farina Mateo 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Background: Cognitive health is a major concern for understanding population health in Brazil. Race inequalities have been found for several health outcomes but less is known about older adult cognitive health. Health inequalities have been tied to several life course factors, but less is known about how the racial stratification in Brazil may contribute to race disparities in cognitive health. Method: Data come from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used nested regression models to examine the life course origins of the race differences in cognitive functioning. Results: Whites had better cognitive functioning than non-Whites. Education reduced these differences by about half. Health behaviors and cardiometabolic conditions had little to no impact. Discussion: Race differences in cognitive functioning in Brazil are in large part attributable to educational opportunities. These finding point to the importance of cognitive development in childhood to understand racial disparities in later life cognitive health.
Does Familial Educational Attainment Predict Sleep Quality Trajectories for Older Adults in Mexico?
Authors: Sheehan Connor , Osuna Margarita 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Researchers have stressed the importance of sleep for healthy aging and longevity. However, there are few population-level studies of sleep quality focusing on older adults in Latin America and Mexico in particular. The objective of this study is to examine the associations between personal and familial educational attainment on sleep quality. We utilized data from the 2001-2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study (N=4,164; MHAS). Our sample consisted of older adults (aged 50+), married with children. We predicted longitudinal reports of restless sleep across four waves of MHAS using mixed-effects logistic regression. We found that lower levels of respondents’ education, their spouses’ education, and their children’s’ education were associated with lower levels of sleep quality. When the measures of education were included in the same model, one’s own education and children’s education remained significantly associated with quality sleep. Our results stress the importance of familial educational attainment for sleep in Mexico.
Association Between Music Engagement and Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the US
Authors: Fiscella Andrew , Veal Britney , Ji Ming , Meng Hongdao 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Music engagement is a universal human activity that transcends cultural and geographic boundaries. Current evidence suggests that music engages many diverse brain networks with wide-ranging effects on physiological, cognitive, and affective processes. As a result, music activity engagement may be associated with enhanced cognitive reserves and reduced stress. However, it remains unclear whether music activity engagement is associated with any survival advantage in the general population. This study tested this hypothesis in a nationally-representative sample of middle-aged and older adults in the U.S. A cohort of 3,540 respondents from the Health and Retirement Study was followed from 2002 to 2018. Music engagement was measured by self-reported participation in passive and/or active music activities. Potential confounders included socio-demographics, health and functional status, and health-related behaviors. We plotted the Kaplan-Meier survival curves by music engagement level and used Cox proportional hazards model to examine the independent effect of music engagement on mortality. Musical engagement levels were significantly associated with mortality in both the unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Respondents who reported engaging with music at a moderate or high level had lower mortality risk as compared to those who did not (HR=.83, p=0.015; HR=.78, p=0.003, respectively). These findings suggest that music engagement in the middle to late life may have an independent beneficial effect in promoting longevity. Future research should examine whether this observed effect was causal and existed in other populations. If confirmed, interventions should be designed to promote music engagement among middle-aged and older adults.
Age Norms and the Spirit of Capitalism
Authors: Morelock Jeremiah 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Adulthood is often associated with hard work, in contrast to childhood and later life, which are associated with play, education, and leisure. Yet the work-fixated sense of adulthood is about more than just age norms. Like any such ethos, it is situated in socioeconomic history. Workers are forced to work hard, the work ethic framing their exploitation within an aura of moral righteousness. According to Weber the normative weight commonly associated with ‘hard work’ derives from the advent of Protestantism in the late middle ages. Weber says that this new worldview birthed the ‘spirit of capitalism,’ and set the stage for the modern world to take shape. In the seventeenth century—hence roughly coinciding with mercantilism and the Reformation—was the invention of the modern concept of childhood, i.e. the radical division of childhood from adulthood. This period also inaugurated the European Enlightenment, where reason was elevated as a supremely honorable aspect of humanity, in many ways as a new source of this-worldly pseudo-salvation. ‘Adulthood’ was infused with these values—the ideal [male] adult is rational, responsible, hard-working, self-sufficient, and financially secure. It was adulthood, more than and in contrast to other times of life (e.g., childhood and later life), that absorbed and normalized the new economic and cultural trends. The moral elevation of hard work, combined with the greater demarcation of adulthood in contrast to childhood and later life, set up children and older adults to take on a status of moral inferiority due to their exclusion from the working world.
Attitudes about Dementia in Different Stages of Adulthood
Authors: O'Connor Melissa , Pedersen Megan , McFadden Susan 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Research on attitudes toward dementia has often focused on younger and older adults; few studies have also included the age groups of established and middle adulthood. The current study utilized data from community-dwelling adults aged 18-95 (n=567) residing in two Midwestern states. Participants were divided into four age groups: emerging/young adulthood (ages 18-29), established adulthood (ages 30-45), middle adulthood (ages 46-64), and older adulthood (age 65+). ANOVA models were used to examine age group differences on the following outcomes: factual knowledge about dementia (total score on 14 true-false questions); attitudes toward dementia (total score on the 20-item Dementia Attitudes Scale); and a single item, “I am afraid of losing my memory” (rated on a 5-point scale). The effect of age group was significant in all models (p&lt;0.01 for all). Emerging/young adults had significantly more knowledge about dementia, but less positive attitudes toward dementia, relative to established, middle-aged, and older adults. Attitudes and knowledge did not differ between established, middle-aged, and older adults. By contrast, older adults reported significantly more fear of memory loss than emerging/young, established, and middle-aged adults; fear did not differ between the latter three age groups. There were no significant interactions between age group and sex in any of the models. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Blood Pressure Control and Cardiovascular and Mortality Risk in VA Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Liu Xiaojuan , Lee Sei , Steinman Michael , Graham Laura , Li Yongmei , Jing Bocheng , Odden Michelle 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Optimal blood pressure (BP) control in nursing home residents is controversial and this population has been excluded from trials. We evaluated the associations of BP level with cardiovascular (CV) events and all-cause mortality across antihypertensive medication categories in Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home residents. Data for 18,589 residents aged 65 years and older was obtained from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse from October 2006 through September 2017. Baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were divided into categories and analyses were stratified by antihypertensive therapy (0, 1, and ≥2 medications). Over a median follow-up of 1.8 years, CV events occurred in 3,519 (19%) residents and 15,897 (86%) residents died. In participants on no BP medications, high SBP (&gt;150 mmHg) was associated with a greater risk of CV events (adjusted [cause-specific] hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-2.06) compared with normal SBP (110-130mmHg). By contrast, in participants on ≥2 BP medications, the subgroup with low SBP (&lt;110 mmHg) had a higher CV risk (1.38; 1.20-1.57). For DBP, in participants without BP medications, there were no differences in CV risk across DBP subgroups. Whereas among those on 1 or ≥2 medications, DBP &lt;60 mmHg was associated with a higher CV risk (1.26; 1.03-1.55 and 1.35; 1.18-1.54, respectively) compared with normal DBP (70-80 mmHg). Participants with low SBP (&lt;110 mmHg) and DBP (&lt;70 mmHg) had an increased mortality risk regardless of the number of medications. These findings suggest a potential risk of low BP among nursing home residents on multiple antihypertensive medications.
Community-Academic Partnership to Improve Nutrition and Blood Pressure in Seniors: Outcomes & Impact of COVID-19
Authors: Guishard Dozene , Kost Rhonda , Tobin Jonathan , Vasquez Kimberly 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (“DASH diet”) has been proven in research settings to lower blood pressure, but its implementation is untested among seniors in congregate meals settings. We report the planning, implementation, impact of COVID-19, and results of an Administration of Community Living-funded study to test whether two evidence-based interventions - DASH-alignment of congregate meals, and home blood pressure self-monitoring, can lower systolic blood pressure and increase blood pressure control among community-dwelling seniors.. Congregate meal menus were aligned with the DASH eating plan, through collaboration of Bionutrition professionals on the research team, CBN food services leadership, and the NYC Department for the Aging. Seniors provided feedback on the DASH-modified meal options. The intervention began on October 15, 2019 (Site 1) and February 3, 2020 (Site 2). The study was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, when congregate meals ceased, and when approximately 75% of primary outcome data were collected. Modified implementation permitted completion of modified study outcomes. Preliminary analyses suggest that some participants were able to lower their blood pressure in this program. The DASH diet implemented in the congregate meal setting, along with programs to support BP self-efficacy through modification of existing programs, may be a valuable and scalable model to reduce cardiovascular risk among community-living seniors.
Pulmonary and Physical Function Limitations in Aging Men with and without HIV from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study
Authors: Abdo Mona , Kunisaki Ken , Stosor Valentina , D'Souza Gypsyamber , Abdel-Maksoud Madiha , Brown Todd , MaWhinney Samantha , Erlandson Kristine 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
We sought to determine effects of age, HIV serostatus, and smoking on the associations between pulmonary function and physical function impairments using Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study data. Associations between physical function outcomes gait speed (m/sec) and grip strength (kg) with normalized pulmonary function tests (diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO, n=1,048) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1, n=1,029)) were examined. Adjusted mixed-effects models included interaction terms to assess effect modification. 574(55%) were HIV+, with median age 57(IQR=48,64) and mean cumulative smoking pack-years 12.2(SD=19.0). 349(33%) had impaired DLCO (&lt;80% of predicted) and 130(13%) had impaired FEV1 (&lt;80% of predicted). Participants with impaired DLCO had weaker grip strength than those with normal DLCO (estimate= -3.5[95% CI=-4.6,-2.4]kg; p&lt;0.001). Participants with impaired DLCO had slower gait speed than those with normal DLCO (estimate= -0.04[95% CI= -0.06,-0.02]m/sec; p=0.002). Age modified the DLCO effect on gait (p-interaction=0.01) but not grip (p-interaction=0.09). The association between decreased DLCO and slower gait was more pronounced in older participants. Smoking or HIV serostatus did not significantly modify the DLCO effect on gait (all p-interaction≥0.14) or grip (p-interaction=0.74, p-interaction=0.058, respectively). As with DLCO, participants with impaired FEV1 had weaker grip strength (estimate=-3.0[95% CI= -4.7,-1.3]kg; p&lt;0.001) than those with normal FEV1. FEV1 was not associated with gait speed(p=0.98). Age, HIV serostatus or smoking did not modify the associations between FEV1 and gait speed or grip strength (all p-interaction&gt;0.05). Associations between lower DLCO/FEV1 and decreased physical function suggest that interventions to improve pulmonary function may also preserve physical function with aging.