bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
USING THE PLATFORM OF A NATIONAL CENTER TO INTEGRATE RESEARCH, PRACTICE, AND POLICY: CEAL@UNC
Authors: Zimmerman Sheryl 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The intent of research is to inform practice and policy to benefit society. Unfortunately, just as academic units are often siloed, so too are organizations constituting the three-legged stool of research, practice, and policy that must work together toward the greater good. One strategy to promote the intersection of the three is the platform of a national center, such as the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL). Assisted living is the largest provider of residential long-term care in the nation, the importance of which was recognized in 2001 by the US Senate Special Committee on Aging and led to the development of CEAL to promote quality in assisted living. For 20 years, CEAL thrived as a unique collaborative of diverse national organizations, and in 2023 joined with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (CEAL@UNC) to expand capacity to develop evidence, bolster the workforce, and promote the adoption of evidence-based practices and policies. CEAL@UNC is exploring and implementing new avenues to bring together individuals and organizations representing different constituencies (e.g., the development of national consumer, practice, policy, and research cores), and capitalizing on its broad representation to inform efforts at numerous levels, including the federal government. This session will discuss the evolution of CEAL to CEAL@UNC, the process of strategic planning and priority setting, and strategies to become a consolidated voice for the intersection of research, practice, and policy – all of which are relevant for topics other than assisted living.
FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A VIRTUAL EXERCISE PROGRAM IN OLDER ADULTS WITH PREDIABETES
Authors: Starr Kathryn Porter , Boucher Nathan , Nicklas Barbara 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Older adults undergo a decline in muscle mass by 30% between ages 50–70, resulting in increased risk of injury and even death, all of which can be prevented and managed with resistance training. Sarcopenia, aging-induced muscle loss, underscores resistance training’s critical role in muscle mass and function preservation. Despite the well-established benefits of resistance training, most older adults don’t meet this exercise threshold: only 19.3% of adults aged 65-74, and &lt; 15% of older adults aged ≥75 report meeting the CDC guideline of performing moderate/high intensity muscle strengthening involving all major muscle groups on ≥2 days per week. Through a NIA-funded SBIR grant (R44AG076087) Vivo, a commercially based, virtual, live, and interactive exercise program, partnered with Duke University to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Vivo in older adults with prediabetes. In addition to building strength, the evidence-based program also incorporates dual task exercises to work on cognition, executive function, and processing speed. Sessions took place over zoom and were 45 minutes twice a week. This symposium provides an overview of Vivo, the feasibility study, perspective of a small business dedicated to improving the lives of older adults and a Vivo member. Both quantitative and qualitative program data on feasibility and acceptability for improving physical and psychosocial outcomes will be presented. Based on these initial findings, we believe Vivo shows great potential for reaching individuals with chronic illnesses who would benefit from adding strength training to their routines in a safe and accessible environment.
FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A VIRTUAL EXERCISE PROGRAM IN OLDER ADULTS WITH PREDIABETES
Authors: Starr Kathryn Porter , Kemp Elizabeth , Levitan Eric , Boucher Nathan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Through metabolic and physiological changes, aging and insulin resistance precipitate impaired physical function and its progression to type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Further, individuals with T2DM have increased risk for functional disability and mobility limitation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Vivo, a commercially available virtual exercise program, for older adults at risk of developing T2DM. A priori criteria for feasibility and acceptability were defined as ≥80% of participants would be retained, ≥80% would attend all 24 classes and ≥90% of the program would be delivered as designed. In this 12-week single arm feasibility study, 28 older adults (69±6 years; 58% female; and 73% non-Hispanic white) with prediabetes were recruited. Out of the 28 individuals enrolled, 22 (79%) successfully completed the 12-week intervention. The results revealed a 27% increase in upper body strength (30-sec arm curl), a 13.5% increase in lower body strength (30-sec chair stand), and a 33% improvement in endurance (2-minute knee raise). Furthermore, the mean change in the 30-second chair stands was 2.0±2.2, with 14 participants increasing by ≥2 stands. Of the 22 participants who completed the intervention, 85% attended all 24 classes. Finally, intervention fidelity was assessed using a 9-item checklist with four focus areas; intervention delivery, workout intensity, safety, and participation and engagement. The intervention was delivered with 96% fidelity across three Vivo trainers. Study findings illustrate that online, live virtual exercise programs that provide tailored programming are highly feasible and acceptable and result in meaningful functional improvements.
THE IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS OF AN INNOVATIVE VIRTUAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS FOR OLDER ADULTS
Authors: Levitan Eric , Kemp Elizabeth , Starr Kathryn Porter 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Aging increases the risk of developing sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. Sarcopenia, in turn, increases one’s susceptibility to chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and dementia, the leading causes of morbidity, mortality, and escalating healthcare expenses in the US. Strength training is a highly effective exercise intervention that reverses age-related muscle loss in older adults2 and restores overall strength and functional abilities. Vivo is an evidence-based program designed using the principle of science of exercise and aging, integrating stretching, balance, cognitive and resistance exercises in a safe, engaging way for older adults. Vivo addresses barriers to strength training through its easy-to-use virtual platform, knowledgeable trainers, engaging social experience and individualized programming that is tailored to meet the participant’s goals and capabilities. Over the past year, Vivo has partnered with several academic centers and community-based organizations to implement virtual exercise programs for older adults. Results from these partnerships show functional improvements and high program satisfaction. This presentation will discuss the steps taken to partner with academic centers and community-based organizations and share quantitative and qualitative outcomes from those partnerships. These results support the results seen in the NIH feasibility study and more importantly, reinforce the growing body of evidence that strength training is an effective strategy to regain muscle strength and improve functional abilities.
FORTIFYING THE FUTURE OF GERONTOLOGY AND GERIATRICS IN HIGHER ED: PART I—HARD QUESTIONS
Authors: Karasik Rona , Masters Julie , Gugliucci Marilyn 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Academic programs in gerontology and geriatrics are again facing an uncertain future. Despite the much touted increase in older adults in the US and subsequent demand for an age-savvy workforce, many gerontology and geriatrics programs are struggling to attract enrollments sufficient to survive, much less thrive. At the same time, unprecedented budget woes and declining public support throughout higher education are driving deep cuts across academic programs and disciplines. Yet, for students whose passion is to work in the field of aging as a clinician, researcher, or provider, having programming available is a necessity. This symposium examines the current state of educational programs in gerontology and geriatrics and raises essential questions to consider in order to fortify their future. First, Mark Staley and Julie Masters address the question “What is happening to gerontology programs?” and present an updated census of gerontology programs in the US, highlighting the financial health of academic institutions where programs have closed, paused, or folded into other disciplines. Second, Rona Karasik identifies research and practice trends in Gerontology & Geriatrics Education journal submissions that seek to answer the question “Why don’t students choose to go into gerontology or geriatrics?” Third, Isaac Boateng, Mark Staley, and Jessica VanderWerf share current gerontology students’ perspectives regarding “Why DO students choose gerontology?” Fourth, Julie Masters poses challenging questions that must be considered when devising strategies for a strong and sustainable future for gerontology education. Finally, discussant Marilyn Gugliucci will facilitate a conversation on the state of gerontology and geriatrics education.
A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD PROBLEM: AN EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE ON BARRIERS TO GROWING AN AGE-SAVVY WORKFORCE
Authors: Karasik Rona 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The future sustainability of gerontology and geriatrics programs has been the subject of concern well before Gerontology & Geriatrics Education (G&GE) was established in 1980, and remains a persistent theme in the journal today. Dwindling financial support for gerontology programs has also been an issue since before the journal’s inception (Wittels, 1981), as was the much anticipated and now present shift in age demographics and its accompanying need to educate a sufficient, age-savvy workforce. In other words, none of these problems are new. Despite innovative curricula and the burgeoning number of older adults, the question remains steadfast: “Why don’t more students choose to go into gerontology or geriatrics?” Moreover, what can be done to attract more students as the need for aging professionals continues to increase and enrollments in gerontology and geriatrics programs decline? The current presentation explores trends in the work submitted to Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE)’s official journal, that seek to: (a) identify reasons why students do not choose gerontology (e.g., ageism, prestige, pay differentials); (b) evaluate novel strategies to address this disinterest (e.g., intergenerational programs, Ageism First Aid); and (c) endeavor to secure the future for gerontology and geriatrics educational programs (e.g., outreach to general education, community partnerships) amid the context of sweeping budget cuts throughout higher education.
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: WHY DO STUDENTS CHOOSE GERONTOLOGY AND GERIATRICS?
Authors: Boateng Isaac Asirifi , Staley Mark , VanderWerf Jess 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Much of the literature on workforce shortages and low enrollments in gerontology and geriatrics education focuses on the barriers - essentially “why don’t students choose to go into gerontology”? This presentation reframes the question to instead consider why gerontology and geriatrics students DO choose the field? Three student perspectives - an undergraduate pre-med certificate student, a master’s student in Gerontology, and a doctoral student in aging studies offer insight into the factors drawing them to gerontology and geriatrics. In addition to sharing their personal journeys, they also share what they have learned from their gerontology classmates and peers at institutions across the United States.
PREPARING NORTH CAROLINA’S HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES WORKFORCE: CURRENT CHALLENGES AND THE PATH FORWARD
Authors: Basrai Zavera , Yoon Caroline , Scales Kezia , Farnham Trish , Carson Erin , Boucher Nathan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Older adults and people living with disabilities receive home- and community-based services (HCBS) from approximately 113,000 often poorly paid and inadequately supported direct service workers in North Carolina (NC). The demand for these workers is increasing rapidly, with NC projected to add almost 23,000 new direct care jobs from 2020 to 2030. The Medicaid-funded Workforce Engagement with Care workers to Assist, Recognize, and Educate (WECARE) project aims to modernize NC’s direct care training and credentialing (TC) to increase the pipeline of workers, build career pathways, elevate their skills and recognition, and improve job quality and retention using Collective Impact (CI). CI utilizes the following essential elements in creating and sustaining diverse collaborations: a common agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and “backbone” support (dedicated coordination team). Informed by extensive desk research, five listening sessions with HCBS workers, support recipients, and family caregivers, and 113 formal engagements with state and non-profit agency leaders and regulatory bodies, WECARE’s state-wide landscape analysis revealed: lack of consistency and flexibility in TC requirements; limited portability of credentials; limited person-specific training; minimal funding incentives for professional development; and the need for an expanded core competency set, including planning, self-care, cultural humility and role delineation. To address these challenges, WECARE’s recommendations include adopting a core competency set for DSWs established through creating a unified multi-level DSW certification framework, strengthening career ladders and lattices within HCBS to support retention, and creating an online portal to house training, credentials, experience and other information that supports worker mobility.
THE INCORPORATING NUTRITION, VESTS, EDUCATION, AND STRENGTH TRAINING IN BONE HEALTH RANDOMIZED TRIAL RESULTS
Authors: Beavers Kristen , Beavers Daniel , Fanning Jason , Lenchik Leon , Nicklas Barbara , Weaver Ashley 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Intentional weight loss (WL) in older adults is associated with bone loss, increasing risk of fracture. As skeletal tissue is responsive to mechanical stress, replacing lost weight externally may be an innovative way to minimize WL-associated bone loss in this population. The main goal of the Incorporating Nutrition, Vests, Education, and Strength Training (INVEST) in Bone health trial (NCT04076618) is to examine the effect of 12-months of weighted vest use during intentional WL on several indicators of bone health, as compared to WL alone and WL plus traditional strength training exercise. Herein we report intervention process measure data, including weight change (%), self-reported weighted vest wear-time (hours/day), lost weight added to the weighted vest (%), and strength training adherence (% sessions attended; days/week). A total of 150 older adults were randomized, with 133 (89%) completing the trial. Average age was 66.4±4.6 years and the majority were white (69%) women (75%) with a body mass index of 33.6±3.3 kg/m2. 12-month WL by group was 9.4±6.7%, 9.0±4.7%, 11.3±6.0% for WL alone, WL+weighted vest, and WL+strength training, respectively. Self-reported weighted vest wear-time over 12-months was 7.1±1.5 hours/day, with 81.8±22.8% of lost weight replaced in the vest. Participants assigned to WL+strength training attended 75.2±13.0% of classes, averaging 2.2±0.4 sessions attended/week over 12-months. Intervention process measure data from the INVEST in Bone Health trial suggest significant and similar WL in each group, with good adherence to the weighted vest and exercise prescriptions. This presentation will also show treatment effects on select measures of musculoskeletal health.
NOVEL MODALITIES FOR UNCOVERING BRAIN MECHANISMS UNDERLYING COGNITIVE AND MOTOR FUNCTIONS
Authors: Fraser Sarah , Rosso Andrea , Liu-Ambrose Teresa 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
It is now well-established that age-related declines in cognitive and motor functions co-occur and that shared neural resources are involved. However, details of these neural resources are still largely unknown, limiting development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. This symposium aims to answer: What can neuroimaging tell us about subjective cognitive decline and what changes in gait and mitochondrial function are associated with changes in the brain? How does dopamine alter these associations and help promote resilience in the brain? A series of recent studies using neuroimaging technologies aimed to answer these questions and provide new information on neural resources: (1) Salzman et al. will share their work using functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) and dual-task tapping to explore cerebral oxygenation differences in older adults with and without subjective cognitive decline; (2) Rosso et al. explored if neural inefficiency or compensation measured by fNIRS during dual-task walking was influenced by dopamine binding using Positron Emission Tomography (PET); (3) Rosano et al. employed PET to explore associations between dopaminergic binding and gait speed changes when transitioning to an uneven surface; and finally (4) Tian et al. examined the relationship between skeletal muscle mitochondrial function via MR Spectroscopy and longitudinal brain structural changes via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. Each of these studies contributes to the evidence base on neuroimaging correlates of cognitive and motor function and helps us to understand what factors foster resilience and maintenance of these functions with age.
RELATION OF PREFRONTAL CORTEX FUNCTION WITH DUAL-TASK GAIT DEPENDS ON POSTDORSAL CAUDATE DOPAMINE
Authors: Rosso Andrea , Baillargeon Emma , Huppert Theodore , Bohnen Nicholaas , Chahine Lana , Rosano Caterina 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
In older adults, the extent of PFC activation during challenged walking may be indicative of either compensation (if performance is maintained) or of neural inefficiencies (if performance declines). Dopamine neurotransmission in the basal ganglia is a determinant of motor automaticity and could therefore be a driver of compensatory vs inefficient PFC activity. We tested whether associations of change in PFC activation measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy with change in gait speed from single- to dual-task (alternate letter of the alphabet) walking over 15 meters differed by dopamine binding in a cohort of older adults (n=87, age=73±5 years, 67% women, gait speed=1.06±0.81 m/s). Dopamine neurotransmission was measured by dihydrotetrabenazine ([11C]DTBZ) positron emission tomography in the postcommissural caudate, which is highly connected to the dorsolateral PFC. Linear regression analyses assessed multiplicative interactions between PFC activation and [11C]DTBZ binding (above/below median) adjusted for age and gender with gait speed change as the dependent variable. Greater PFC activation was non-significantly related to greater decline in gait speed during dual-task. There was a significant interaction (p=0.05) between [11C]DTBZ in the postcommissural caudate and PFC function such that for those with higher dopamine binding, there was no association between PFC activation and gait speed change (beta=-0.002, p=0.8) but in those with lower dopamine, greater increase in PFC activation was associated with greater decline in gait speed from single- to dual-task walking (beta=-0.03, p=0.02). Higher PFC activation among those with lower dopamine binding may be indicative of neural inefficiencies that result in poor dual-task performance.
PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM: EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES AND CONFRONTING CHALLENGES IN GLOBAL AGING RESEARCH
Authors: Ailshire Jennifer 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This BSS Presidential Symposium highlights the promise and potential of global studies of older adults to bring new insights to our understanding of the aging process in an ever changing and increasingly diverse world. The Symposium brings together scholars from Gerontology, Sociology, and Economics to highlight the multidisciplinary perspectives on aging in a global context. Jinkook Lee will provide an overview of what we can learn from cross-national comparisons of aging populations and how we can use evolving data resources to address the challenges of aging populations around the world. Three empirical presentations follow from Yaun Zhang, Mateo Farina, and Nekehia Quashie, with different perspectives on how to use global aging surveys to advance our understanding of the social determinants of cognitive health across diverse country contexts. These presentations, which focus on education, early life conditions, and family relationships span countries from Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom as well as the United States. The session also highlights the value of using harmonized studies of aging across different countries to demonstrate how inequality differs across contexts and identify the drivers of disparities in cognitive health and dementia risk. By integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives and utilizing harmonized studies, this Symposium will demonstrate how researchers can use cross-national comparative research to examine questions that can inform efforts to enhance the well-being of older adults worldwide and address the multifaceted challenges posed by global aging.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND LATER-LIFE COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HIGH- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Yu Xuexin , Cho Tsai-Chin , Zhang Pengyuan (Kelvin) , Langa Kenneth , Weir David , Gross Alden , Kobayashi Lindsay 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The rising number of dementia cases worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), underscores the need to identify social policies that promote cognitive health of older adults in LMICs and reduce global dementia burden. Many studies have found that educational attainment is associated with better cognitive function. However, these findings are mostly from Western high-income countries where the social and historical contexts of education differ from LMICs. In this research, we aim to evaluate the importance of educational attainment for later-life cognitive function in various social and geographic settings. Using data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its sister studies in England, Mexico, China, and India and each study’s respective Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) (n = 14,978, 2016–2019), we compared later-life global cognitive function across countries, examined educational differences in cognitive function within each country, and evaluated the potential impact of improving educational attainment in LMICs on reducing differences in later-life cognitive function between LMICs and high-income countries. In Mexico, China, and India, the general cognitive function score was approximately one standard deviation of HRS-HCAP scores lower compared to the US and England, paralleling patterns of educational attainment across countries. Higher educational attainment was consistently associated with better cognitive function across countries. Differences in educational attainment explained ~50%–90% of observed differences in cognitive function across countries. Our results underscore the importance of education to promote cognitive health. Continual improvement of educational attainment in LMICs may yield significant payoffs in later-life cognitive health.