bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
WISDOM OVER TEA: USE OF COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES WITH RURAL ALASKA NATIVE ELDERS
Authors: Lewis Jordan , Kim Steffi , Thompson Lena 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Native Elders are often underrepresented in data collection efforts due to distrust of Western research institutions and Western methodologies. Through over 16 years and 162 interviews with Alaska Native (AN) Elders, the Alaska Native Successful Aging Team, led by Dr. Jordan P. Lewis, has been employing strategies to decolonize research. In this presentation, we will share stories and strategies for connecting with rural and remote AN Elders, including the role of sharing (food, tea, gifts, laughter), taking time to build relationships, and the importance of laughter with Elders. Furthermore, we will explain the role of an Elder-led advisory committee and its role in the implementation of Alaska Native driven values-oriented research. The use of community-based approaches, such as talk story, community member involvement, building trust, and maintaining sustainable relationships are necessary steps to conduct research that is Indigenous-driven and beneficial to the communities. Throughout this presentation, we will discuss Indigenous-driven research approaches and the necessity for the increased recognition of research strategies that involve historical, social, cultural, and inter-relational perspectives. Decolonizing approaches to data collection offer space for relationality, and offer a trusting and mutually beneficial environment to conduct research with AN Elders.
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON FRAILTY TRAJECTORIES OF OLDER ADULTS IN RURAL UNITED STATES
Authors: Spangler Hillary , Xie Wenyi , Lynch David , Lin Feng-Chang , Batsis John 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Frailty is a geriatric syndrome of physical decline that increases an older adult’s risk for vulnerability to physiological stress. We aim to determine the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on frailty trajectories of older adults in rural areas.

Methods
We used data from the National Health and Aging Trend Study (2011-2020), a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries &gt;65 years. Using cohorts from 2011 (n=8,245) and 2015 (n=8,334), individuals were categorized using Fried’s frailty phenotype. Rurality was defined using the Office of Management and Budget’s definition. Generalized estimation equations with generalized logit link function determined the impact of rurality and SDOH (transportation, family support, income, education) on frailty status.

Results
Using the 2011 (n=8,245) and 2015 (n=8,334) cohorts, participants were 57.1% and 55.8% female, median age 70-74 years old, and 18.5% and 19.3% lived in rural areas. Being married, having a college education, and higher income were protective against frailty progression. Urban areas had lower odds developing frailty versus pre-frailty, yet hastened developing pre-frailty versus robust. Urban adults with transportation to doctor appointments had lower odds of frailty progression, though not significant (robust-&gt;frail (OR 0.80, SE 0.09, p=0.47) and robust-&gt;pre-frail (OR 0.83, SE 0.08, p=0.49)). Hispanic ethnicity was protective against progressive frailty robust-&gt;frail (OR 0.40, SE 0.14, p=0.008) or pre-frail-&gt;frail (OR 0.55, SE 0.13, p=0.01).

Conclusion
Our findings suggest SDOH, race, and rurality may impact frailty trajectories. Future studies need to investigate the heterogeneity of aging in groups of older adults with similar SDOH and geography.
AGING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: Stanley Jennifer , Chukwuorji JohnBosco , Stanley Jennifer 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Aging in sub-Saharan Africa is a relatively neglected area of research despite the increasing proportion of the population aging. This collection of papers highlights how the varied cultures in sub-Saharan Africa shape development in later adulthood and emphasizes the critical need for research on aging to consider the sociocultural context. First, Chukwuorji and colleagues focus on how health behaviors and self-esteem explain the association between social support and successful aging among Nigerian retirees. Second, Porter and colleagues present a collaboration between scientists and older adults in knowledge generation. They find that access to both social and physical environmental elements are necessary to promote physical activity in their communities. Third, Burns and colleagues explore how place and gender interact when examining disability prevalence among older adults in Ghana. Fourth, Silverstein and colleagues report that culture and religion play an important role in shaping how palliative care is perceived. For example, a cultural norm for medical secrecy and a hesitancy to talk about death present unique barriers for palliative care. Fifth, in a qualitative study examining how older chronically ill Nigerians cope with their diagnosis, Mahmoud and colleagues report that older Nigerians do not want individuals outside their close family circle to know that they are ill. Individuals conceal their illness because they fear discrimination and want to maintain normalcy when interacting with others. All the papers presented in this symposium highlight the importance of considering the sociocultural context to understand the aging experience.
A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT ENGAGING NIGERIAN OLDER PERSONS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSESSMENT FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Authors: Porter Michelle , Odeyemi Emmanuel , Chesser Stephanie , King Abby 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
A main tenet of age-friendly principles is that the voices of older people should be guiding improvements to their communities. The purpose of this collaborative citizen science project was to examine the age-friendliness of a neighborhood in Lagos Nigeria in terms of its characteristics to enable physical activity. Citizen scientists (13 older adults, seven men and six women, 65 to 86 years old) were involved in data collection, analysis, and priority setting. For data collection, they used the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool application on a tablet to record 156 photos and 151 commentaries (text and audio) of neighborhood barriers and facilitators to physical activity. The collaborative analysis and priority setting process led to the following facilitators being identified: pedestrian and traffic facilities (e.g., traffic lights, walkways); green areas and parks; multi-generational community features (e.g., programs / facilities); opportunities for social connection (e.g., neighborhood associations, churches); safety of destinations and services; and public toilets. Barriers included: hazardous walkways / traffic; noise pollution; refuse; selling of public parks; crime (e.g., kidnapping, criminal hideouts); no safe drinking water; and ageism. The identified priorities for change in this Nigerian neighborhood included both social and physical aspects of the environment: social connectivity; improved pedestrian and traffic facilities; and green and beautiful environments. By meaningfully engaging older adults, this type of approach shows promise for communities in making age-friendly changes.
THE NEED TO APPEAR HEALTHY: CONCEALMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS, PRIVACY, AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY AMONG OLDER NIGERIANS
Authors: Mahmoud Kafayat , Baker Tamara , Esiaka Darlingtina , Balogun Saliu 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Prior research has highlighted the beneficial impact of social networks and social support on older adults’ physical and psychosocial wellbeing. The impact of the relationship between chronic illness and social networks on the psychosocial wellbeing of older Nigerians remains understudied. This study explored how older Nigerians with chronic illnesses navigate the physical, mental, and emotional changes due to their chronic disease diagnosis within their social contexts. The current qualitative study used semi-structured in-depth interviews with 19 purposively sampled older adults, aged 50 years plus, chronically ill, and receiving clinical care to examine the role of social networks in how chronically ill older Nigerians cope with their diagnosis. Three main themes reflecting participants’ experiences emerged from the findings: 1) closely-knit circles, 2) privacy and self-sufficiency, and 3) body image. Results show that chronically ill older Nigerians prefer to keep the knowledge of their conditions strictly within their close family circles. It was considered horrific to inform friends, community members, and religious groups about one’s chronic illness. Findings further reveal that the need to appear healthy to one’s social network stems from the fear of being discriminated against and attempts to maintain some level of normalcy when interacting with others. Additionally, feelings of inferiority and shame limited their participation in social activities and social network maintenance. We discuss the implication of the results for the mental wellbeing and quality of life of chronically ill older Nigerians and make recommendations for policies and resources that can improve the wellbeing of chronically ill Nigerians.
CARDIOVASCULAR-DERIVED CELL-FREE DNA: ASSOCIATIONS WITH FRAILTY AND AGING-RELATED COMORBIDITIES
Authors: Nidadavolu Lolita , Sosnowski David , Sivakumar Nikita , Bennett David , Phillip Jude , Maher Brion , Oh Esther , Abadir Peter 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Cell-free genomic DNA (cf-gDNA) fragments are released into the bloodstream following cell death processes and higher levels are associated with age-related physical and cognitive decline. It remains unclear which tissues release cf-gDNA fragments in community-dwelling older adults with frailty. Serum cf-gDNA from 190 participants in the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project (ROS-MAP) had DNA methylation performed via Illumina Methylation EPIC array. Hierarchical clustering derived distinct sub-populations based on cf-gDNA tissue of origin. Linear regression and mixed-effects models examined associations between tissue origin and physical measures. After neutrophils, vascular endothelial cells (5.3%), erythrocyte progenitors (4.8%), and monocytes (4.3%) were the most frequent cell types of origin. Hierarchical clustering demonstrated three sub-populations distinguished by cf-gDNA tissue origin: Cardiovascular, Erythrocyte Progenitor, and Immune Cell. Individuals in the Cardiovascular sub-group had enrichment of fragments from myocardial and vascular endothelial cells, demonstrated higher frailty scores, and had increased prevalence of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke compared to other sub-groups. The Cardiovascular sub-group also had DNA fragments with increased biological age compared to the other groups (via GrimAge calculation), suggesting the cf-gDNA was released from older cells in the Cardiovascular group. Our study reveals a sub-group enriched with fragments originating from cardiovascular tissue that demonstrate higher future occurrence of frailty and cardiovascular disease and have cf-gDNA release from older cells compared to the other sub-groups. Using cf-gDNA to identify these at-risk individuals can allow for early initiation of treatments to attenuate progression to severe cardiovascular disease and frailty.
CULTIVATING RESILIENCE ACROSS DIVERSE AGING COMMUNITIES
Authors: García Catherine , Farmer Heather 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This symposium explores the multifaceted experiences of resilience and well-being among older adults from diverse cultural backgrounds, emphasizing the role of resistance and assertion of cultural practices for optimal aging and aging in place. Presentations span various communities in the U.S. that are not widely studied in gerontological research, offering a comprehensive perspective on aging challenges and strategies. The first presentation focuses on the concept of ‘Eldership’ among Alaskan Native Elders in promoting mutually beneficial relations within youth, communities, tribes, and organizations. The second presentation highlights perspectives from Native Hawaiian kumu loea (expert teachers) of traditional practices on regeneration of cultural practices and language, emphasizing the challenges and personal resilience of those reclaiming indigenous knowledge through resistance. The third presentation explores the well-being of older South Asian American women, identifying factors like robust social networks, participation in cultural events, and mindfulness practices as asset-based strengths that empower and support a sense of purpose. The fourth presentation identifies factors influencing life satisfaction among resettled Bhutanese older adults, uncovering the importance of social support and resilience. The final presentation investigates self-employment among older Hispanics, revealing intragroup disparities in safety-net program access and economic opportunities, showcasing how cultural identity serve as a proxy to later life financial security and well-being. Together, these presentations foster a deeper understanding of resilience across diverse aging communities, emphasizing the importance of cultural resistance and traditional practices as integral components of well-being, providing insights for those seeking culturally sensitive approaches to support the well-being of older populations.
FUTURE SELF CONTINUITY AND AGING PREPARATION ACROSS CULTURES: THE MODERATING ROLE OF FUTURE SELF-VIEWS
Authors: Wu Yiwen , Fung Helene H 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Preparation for aging enhances well-being and lowers societal costs. According to Hershfield (2019), people view their future selves as strangers when making intertemporal decisions. Future self-continuity—the psychological connectedness to future selves—is crucial to people’s willingness to allocate resources for the future (Hershfield et. al., 2011). While studies have shown that higher future self-continuity promotes saving intentions (e.g. Hershfield et al., 2020), such relationships have not been examined among older populations in diverse cultures. This research aims to investigate the effect of future self-continuity on aging preparation and the moderating role of future self-views in two studies across six cultures. Two separate surveys have been conducted on N = 117 Australian older adults aged 55-86 years (Study 1, Mage = 61.7 SD = 6.6) and N = 2,940 older adults aged 38-99 years (Study 2, Mage = 61.5 SD = 15.2) across five cultures (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Czechia, and the United States). The results showed that future self-continuity predicted more preparation for aging in both studies, after controlling for age, gender, health, and social status. Further, the effect of future self-continuity on aging preparation was conditional on the valence of future self-views. Specifically, future self-continuity was positively associated with aging preparation when people held positive views towards their future selves, while such relationships became negative when people viewed their future selves negatively. These findings highlight the importance of considering both future self-continuity and future self-views in interventions to promote aging preparation among older adults across diverse cultures.
AN INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF BETWEEN-COUNTRY DIFFERENCES IN DAILY COUPLING OF AGEIST ATTITUDES AND NEGATIVE AFFECT
Authors: Shrira Amit , Palgi Yuval , Can Reyyan , Kornadt Anna , Tse Dwight , Neupert Shevaun 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Daily variations in subjective views of aging and their coupling with psychological concomitants are increasingly explored, yet potential cultural differences in these relationships have not been addressed. We, therefore, compared the daily coupling of ageist attitudes with negative affect (NA) across countries included in the Subjective AGES (Aging within Global Everyday Ecological Studies) project, encompassing 379 participants from the USA, UK, Germany, Israel, and Türkiye (ages ranged from 50 to 90; specific countries comprised 16% to 23% of the sample). Participants reported ageist attitudes and NA across 14 days. Within-person variability in ageist attitudes ranged from 15.5% (UK) to 53.7% (Türkiye) of the total variance. Overall, on days when participants had more ageist attitudes, they also reported higher NA. Cross-level interactions showed that the strength of ageist attitudes-NA coupling in the USA was moderate, while it was weaker in the UK and Germany and stronger in Israel and Türkiye. These findings suggest that the coupling of older adults’ daily ageist attitudes and NA varies across different countries. In European countries such as the UK and Germany, better access to healthcare services might mitigate the effects of ageist attitudes on NA. For Israel and Türkiye, the experience of a decline in social status due to a transition from a traditional and collectivist society to a modern and individualist one might increase the impact of views on aging. We will explore these explanations and future directions for the Subjective AGES project.
EMANCIPATORY PEDAGOGY: PRAXIS FOR RADICAL TRADITIONS OF LEARNING AND HEALING
Authors: DiCarlo Nicholas , Pond Brittney 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Emancipatory Sciences aim to advance knowledge and the realization of dignity, access, equity, healing, and social justice through individual and collective agency and social institutions. Literature suggests this theoretical framework, method, and practice embraces and pursues an impact on research, pedagogy, and systemic change within and beyond academia (Estes, DiCarlo, and Yeh, 2023; Reyes, Versey, and Yeh, 2022). This symposium aims to discuss emancipatory science and critical gerontology through intergenerational, intersectional, and healing oriented frameworks. We address the central questions: who participates and collaborates in such an endeavor and what methodologies and pedagogical approaches strengthen collective participation and democratize access to knowledge across generations. The presenters in this symposium discuss this central question through various facets, including 1) the use of Crone pedagogies to embrace our embodied histories and teach about life course perspectives grounded in standpoint theories of positionality in the classroom 2) UCSF’s Emancipatory Sciences Lab as praxis that creates collaborative spaces for co-learning 3) tangible findings from a digital storytelling project and 4) methodological considerations in participatory action research such as co-design, co-learning, and strengths-based language and design.
CRONE PEDAGOGIES AND THE EMANCIPATORY POTENTIAL OF HISTORICAL MEMORY
Authors: DiCarlo Nicholas 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Crone pedagogies (DiCarlo, 2023) embrace abject identities as epistemoloical standpoints of wisdom. This emerging pedagogical tradition centers mourning loved ones, ancestors, and activist who shaped us and teaches an attentive respect for the ghosts that haunt us and pull at normative unconscious processes (Layton, 2019). Gerontological study provides a unique point of inquiry into how we carry knowledge across the lifespan and through generations, as ageism stereotypes, medicalizes, and segregates older adults– collapsing complex personhoods into tropes and units of business. This presentation features examples from teaching first year MSW students about ageism, decoloniality, and abolitionist movements. Historical memory positions teacher-learners with opportunities to celebrate and mourn the activists and scholars who are shaping the fight against policing, transphobia, and displacement. Crone pedagogies underscore the necropolitical dimensions of grief and grievability (Butler, 2009), and encourage critical reflection on survival in oppressive systems and collective praxes of resistance.
END-OF-LIFE CARE AND DECISION-MAKING IN CHINA: HOW TO IMPROVE END-OF-LIFE CARE QUALITY?
Authors: Lou Yifan , Pei Yaolin , Wu Bei 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Alongside population aging comes the challenges of providing quality end-of-life care in China, where the largest and most rapidly growing older adults reside. Mounting qualitative evidence has documented the culturally different needs, experiences, and barriers of end-of-life care and decision-making among older Chinese, but the quantitative evidence is lacking. Aligned with GSA 2024’s theme, this symposium uses national and regional data to investigate potential “fortitude factors” that can improve end-of-life qualities for older adults and reduce burden for caregivers in China. The first paper will share policy-relevant findings on the urban-rural differences in pain, place of death, and their associations with the use of pain treatment at the end of life, a cornerstone of end-of-life dignity. The second paper will turn the attention to caregivers and present a population-based study on the individual- and household-level factors that may contribute to end-of-life caregiving burden and the role of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two studies on end-of-life care decision-making with a dyadic perspective will then be presented. The third one will focus on the children’s role, considering both number of children and financial responsibilities, in deciding end-of-life treatments for their parents under the culture of filial piety, using retrospective data. The fourth one will then describe older adults’ preferences for involvement and roles in their future end-of-life care decision-making with their loved ones and doctors, using regional survey data. Lastly, our discussant, Dr. Bei Wu, will synthesize these presentations and discuss the policy and practice implications in improving “good death” in China.
THE CAREGIVING BURDEN OF CHINESE OLDER ADULTS AT THE END OF LIFE: THE ROLE OF LIVING ARRANGEMENT AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Zhang Wenjun 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
While there has been a surge of interest in studying end-of-life quality of lives of older adults in China to respond to population aging, the experiences of their caregivers remain largely unexamined. Chinese older adults in general may have to rely on their co-residing members to provide end-of-life care. To address the gap, we explored the association between living arrangement and caregiving burden during end-of-life stage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using a representative sample. The working sample included 1043 decedents who died between 2017 and 2021 from China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Ordered logistic regression models were used to examine the impact of living arrangement and pandemic on caregiving burden at the end of life. Our results indicated that caregivers of older adults who lived alone and lived in empty-nest, stem, and nuclear families had higher caregiving burden than those lived in skipped-generation families. The COVID-19 pandemic increased caregiving burden and further strengthened the relationship between living arrangements and end-of-life caregiving burden. Particularly, caregivers to older adults who lived alone, lived in empty-nest, stem, and nuclear families during the pandemic had higher caregiving burden than those before the pandemic. The main findings highlight the importance of paying attention to the caregiving burden of caregivers to those who are not living in skipped generation families, especially during pandemic. Our findings implied that we need to develop comprehensive formal support system to reduce the caregiving burden for caregivers at the end of life.