The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Work and Financial Outcomes of Older Black and Hispanic Adults

Abstract This study investigates how older Black and Hispanic adults’ work engagement is impacted by the effects of COVID-19. Using intersectionality and cumulative (dis)advantage as complementing theoretical frameworks, data from the Health and Retirement Study, and series of logistic regression models, we measure work engagement changes pre- and post- COVID-19. Preliminary findings suggest that net of other controls, there were no substantial or significant reductions in resilience as the result of COVID-19 itself for any racial/ethnic group. White older adults, and to some degree Hispanics older adults, experienced erosion in resilience related to financial hardships, but the resilience of Black older adults remained stable in the face of increased hardship. Future work in this area will improve our limited understanding of older Black and Hispanic adults’ experiences of managing and coping with COVID-19- related work and financial risks– information that will be critical for planning intervention and support services.

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Empathy and Coping: Older Adults’ Interpersonal Tensions and Mood throughout the Day

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000511418 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Meng Huo ◽

Yee To Ng ◽

Kira S. Birditt ◽

Karen L. Fingerman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Service Providers ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Baseline Survey ◽

Buffering Effect ◽

Daily Experiences ◽

The Face ◽

And Coping

Introduction: Scholars have proposed that empathy is a key feature of strong social ties, but less is known about the role empathy plays when tensions arise. Objective: We examined whether older adults’ empathy was associated with (a) coping strategies for interpersonal tensions, and (b) mood when there were tensions throughout the day. We also explored whether coping strategies explained the potential buffering effect of empathy on older adults’ momentary mood. Methods: Older adults (N = 302) from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study completed a baseline survey on empathy and coping strategies. They also completed ecological momentary assessments every 3 hours each day for 5–6 days, which included questions about interpersonal tensions and mood. This study considered tensions with close partners (e.g., family and friends) and with non-close partners (e.g., acquaintances and service providers). Results: In the face of interpersonal tensions, more empathic older adults reported using more constructive and less destructive coping strategies than less empathic older adults, regardless of their closeness to social partners. Being more empathic also buffered older adults’ mood when tensions occurred with close partners, but this buffering effect was not mediated by older adults’ general preference for coping strategies. Conclusion: This study advances our understanding of empathy and interpersonal tensions in later life, with a focus on daily experiences.

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Inefficient Encoding as an Explanation for Age-Related Deficits in Recollection-Based Processing

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000122 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 148-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

David Friedman ◽

Ray Johnson

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Cognitive Processes ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Semantic Retrieval ◽

Age Related ◽

The Face ◽

Episodic Memories

A cardinal feature of aging is a decline in episodic memory (EM). Nevertheless, there is evidence that some older adults may be able to “compensate” for failures in recollection-based processing by recruiting brain regions and cognitive processes not normally recruited by the young. We review the evidence suggesting that age-related declines in EM performance and recollection-related brain activity (left-parietal EM effect; LPEM) are due to altered processing at encoding. We describe results from our laboratory on differences in encoding- and retrieval-related activity between young and older adults. We then show that, relative to the young, in older adults brain activity at encoding is reduced over a brain region believed to be crucial for successful semantic elaboration in a 400–1,400-ms interval (left inferior prefrontal cortex, LIPFC; Johnson, Nessler, & Friedman, 2013 ; Nessler, Friedman, Johnson, & Bersick, 2007 ; Nessler, Johnson, Bersick, & Friedman, 2006 ). This reduced brain activity is associated with diminished subsequent recognition-memory performance and the LPEM at retrieval. We provide evidence for this premise by demonstrating that disrupting encoding-related processes during this 400–1,400-ms interval in young adults affords causal support for the hypothesis that the reduction over LIPFC during encoding produces the hallmarks of an age-related EM deficit: normal semantic retrieval at encoding, reduced subsequent episodic recognition accuracy, free recall, and the LPEM. Finally, we show that the reduced LPEM in young adults is associated with “additional” brain activity over similar brain areas as those activated when older adults show deficient retrieval. Hence, rather than supporting the compensation hypothesis, these data are more consistent with the scaffolding hypothesis, in which the recruitment of additional cognitive processes is an adaptive response across the life span in the face of momentary increases in task demand due to poorly-encoded episodic memories.

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Financial risks in the face of digital transformation

Public Law ◽

10.37374/2020-37-04 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 43-49

Author(s):

A. Kovalchuk ◽

S. Stetsenko

Keyword(s):

Digital Transformation ◽

Financial Risks ◽

The Face

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Vulnerable Older Adults in Disasters: Effects of Hurricane Irma on Nursing Homes and Assisted Living

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2607 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 733-734

Author(s):

Lindsay Peterson ◽

David Dosa ◽

Patricia D’Antonio

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Gulf Coast ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Term Care ◽

The Face ◽

Qualitative Methodologies ◽

Hurricane Irma

Abstract Preparedness of residents in long-term care (LTC) in the face of hurricane emergencies is a contested and largely unanswered question. Our prior work involving the U.S. Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005-08 showed that exposure to various storms on nursing home (NH) residents resulted in significantly more deaths than reported by health care officials. This work also highlighted that evacuation of NH residents, compared to sheltering in place, was independently associated with morbidity and mortality. Hurricane Irma struck Florida on Sept. 10, 2017, prompting the evacuation of thousands of NH and assisted living community (ALC) residents. This symposium will discuss the effects of Hurricane Irma on vulnerable older adults residing in NHs and ALCs using mixed quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The first presentation will discuss morbidity and mortality of NH residents exposed to Hurricane Irma and will stratify by long stay/short stay status and hospice enrollment. The second presentation will discuss improvements and continued barriers to NH preparedness based on interviews with 30 administrators following Hurricane Irma. Using a novel methodology to identify residents of ALCs using secondary data sources, the third presentation will document AL resident morbidity and mortality risk following Hurricane Irma. The final presentation will highlight results of interviews with 70 stakeholders from small and large ALCs concerning the hurricane experiences of residents, including those with dementia. This symposium offers a multi-faceted view of a disaster’s effects on LTC residents across Florida, including novel data from the NH environment and lesser-examined ALCs.

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Technology Used to Recognize Activities of Daily Living in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18010163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 163

Author(s):

Nicola Camp ◽

Martin Lewis ◽

Kirsty Hunter ◽

Julie Johnston ◽

Massimiliano Zecca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Activities Of Daily Living ◽

Daily Living ◽

Wearable Technology ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Environmental Technologies ◽

Current Monitoring ◽

Future Work

The use of technology has been suggested as a means of allowing continued autonomous living for older adults, while reducing the burden on caregivers and aiding decision-making relating to healthcare. However, more clarity is needed relating to the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) recognised, and the types of technology included within current monitoring approaches. This review aims to identify these differences and highlight the current gaps in these systems. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR, drawing on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Articles and commercially available systems were selected if they focused on ADL recognition of older adults within their home environment. Thirty-nine ADL recognition systems were identified, nine of which were commercially available. One system incorporated environmental and wearable technology, two used only wearable technology, and 34 used only environmental technologies. Overall, 14 ADL were identified but there was variation in the specific ADL recognised by each system. Although the use of technology to monitor ADL of older adults is becoming more prevalent, there is a large variation in the ADL recognised, how ADL are defined, and the types of technology used within monitoring systems. Key stakeholders, such as older adults and healthcare workers, should be consulted in future work to ensure that future developments are functional and useable.

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Self-Leadership and Psychological Capital as Key Cognitive Resources for Shaping Health-Protective Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci11020041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Sherry A. Maykrantz ◽

Luke A. Langlinais ◽

Jeffery D. Houghton ◽

Christopher P. Neck

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Cognitive Theory ◽

Psychological Capital ◽

Health Belief ◽

Well Being ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Psychological Resources ◽

Protective Behaviors ◽

Theoretical Frameworks ◽

And Coping

As COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, health researchers and practitioners have focused attention on identifying the factors that may help to shape health-protective behaviors, protecting individual health and well-being, and helping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This study explores the potential role of self-leadership and psychological capital (PsyCap) as key cognitive resources for shaping health-protective behaviors. Using multiple theoretical frameworks (social cognitive theory, psychological resources theory, and the health belief model), this paper develops and tests a hypothesized serial mediation model in which PsyCap and coping self-efficacy mediate the relationship between self-leadership and health-protective behaviors including hand washing, wearing face masks, and social distancing. Results suggest that PsyCap and coping self-efficacy mediate the positive relationship between self-leadership and health-protective behaviors. These results yield valuable insights regarding the usefulness of self-leadership and PsyCap as cognitive resources for shaping health-protective behaviors and for possible self-leadership and PsyCap interventions, potentially tailored to at-risk populations, which should have practical benefits for both the current and future pandemics and health crises.

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Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment and Dementia Risk in Older Adults

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab076 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

G L Dunietz ◽

R D Chervin ◽

J F Burke ◽

A S Conceicao ◽

T J Braley

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Fee For Service ◽

Medicare Beneficiaries ◽

Lower Odds ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Not Otherwise Specified ◽

Dementia Risk ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Study Objectives To examine associations between PAP therapy, adherence and incident diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia not-otherwise-specified (DNOS) in older adults. Methods This retrospective study utilized Medicare 5% fee-for-service claims data of 53,321 beneficiaries, aged 65+, with an OSA diagnosis prior to 2011. Study participants were evaluated using ICD-9 codes for neurocognitive syndromes [AD(n=1,057), DNOS(n=378), and MCI(n=443)] that were newly-identified between 2011-2013. PAP treatment was defined as presence of ≥1 durable medical equipment (HCPCS) code for PAP supplies. PAP adherence was defined as ≥2 HCPCS codes for PAP equipment, separated by≥1 month. Logistic regression models, adjusted for demographic and health characteristics, were used to estimate associations between PAP treatment or adherence and new AD, DNOS, and MCI diagnoses. Results In this sample of Medicare beneficiaries with OSA, 59% were men, 90% were non-Hispanic whites and 62% were younger than 75y. The majority (78%) of beneficiaries with OSA were prescribed PAP (treated), and 74% showed evidence of adherent PAP use. In adjusted models, PAP treatment was associated with lower odds of incident diagnoses of AD and DNOS (OR=0.78, 95% CI:0.69-0.89; and OR=0.69, 95% CI:0.55-0.85). Lower odds of MCI, approaching statistical significance, were also observed among PAP users (OR=0.82, 95% CI:0.66-1.02). PAP adherence was associated with lower odds of incident diagnoses of AD (OR=0.65, 95% CI:0.56-0.76). Conclusions PAP treatment and adherence are independently associated with lower odds of incident AD diagnoses in older adults. Results suggest that treatment of OSA may reduce risk of subsequent dementia.

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Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the 11-Item de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale in Iranian Older Adults

Evaluation & the Health Professions ◽

10.1177/01632787211015713 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 016327872110157

Author(s):

Reza Hosseinabadi ◽

Mahshid Foroughan ◽

Gholamreza Ghaedamini Harouni ◽

Mohammad-Sajjad Lotfi ◽

Yadollah Pournia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Content Validity ◽

Concurrent Validity ◽

Persian Version ◽

Loneliness Scale ◽

Two Factors ◽

Back Translation ◽

The Face

Loneliness is usually a chronic condition which may lead to physical and psychological undesirable consequences, and requires measurement and intervention. This study was conducted with the aim of preparing a Persian version of the 11-item de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and evaluating its psychometric properties among the Iranian older adults. After applying the translation-back translation method, the prepared script was subjected to the face and content validity evaluations and a Persian version of the scale was prepared. Factor analysis, concurrent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest methods were used to validate the scale. The Persian version of the 11-item de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale showed acceptable content validity. The negative and significant correlations between the loneliness scores and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale indicated that the questionnaire had acceptable concurrent validity. The results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed two factors for the scale. Also, the results of the intra-class correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient demonstrated that the scale had acceptable reliability. The Persian version of the 11-item de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale is an appropriate tool for measuring loneliness in the Iranian older adults.

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Self-Reported Energy Trajectories Predict Adverse Health Outcomes in Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2880 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 794-795

Author(s):

Briana Sprague ◽

Xiaonan Zhu ◽

Rebecca Ehrenkranz ◽

Qu Tian ◽

Theresa Gmelin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Mixed Models ◽

Single Item ◽

Adverse Health ◽

Adverse Health Outcomes ◽

Observational Cohort ◽

Outcome Performance ◽

Future Work ◽

Mortality Hazard Ratio

Abstract Declining energy may indicate homeostatic dysregulation and predict adverse health outcomes. We hypothesized that declining energy would predict greater frailty (1-10), greater mortality, and faster mood (CES-D) and cognition (3MS) decline over time. This observational cohort studies included 2,443 older adults (mean age=74.6, 62.5% White, 47.8% men) from the Health ABC Study with up to eight years of data. Energy was assessed using a single-item question about prior month’s energy (baseline mean=6.7, SD=1.7, range=0–10, lower=less energy). We used linear mixed models to create energy change scores (mean=-.07 points/year, SD=.05, range=-0.32-0.21, negative=decreased energy). In regression models adjusting for baseline outcome performance and energy and demographics, declining energy predicted greater frailty (β=-2.72, 95%CI = -3.39,-2.06), greater mortality (hazard ratio=.07, p<.001), and faster CES-D (β=-.93, 95%CI=-1.10,-0.75) but not 3MS decline. Energy changes are easy to assess and predict clinically-relevant outcomes. Future work should consider mechanisms of declining energy on disability-related outcomes. Part of a symposium sponsored by Brain Interest Group.

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Carebots

Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.2016-sep-5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 138 (09) ◽

pp. S8-S13 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Thiago Marinho ◽

Christopher Widdowson ◽

Amy Oetting ◽

Arun Lakshmanan ◽

Hang Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Human Perception ◽

The Elderly ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Robot System ◽

Perceived Safety ◽

High Level ◽

Future Work ◽

Flying Robots

This article demonstrates a multidisciplinary approach that proposes to augment future caregiving by prolonged independence of older adults. The human–robot system allows the elderly to cooperate with small flying robots through an appropriate interface. ASPIRE provides a platform where high-level controllers can be designed to provide a layer of abstraction between the high-level task requests, the perceptual needs of the users, and the physical demands of the robotic platforms. With a robust framework that has the capability to account for human perception and comfort level, one can provide perceived safety for older adults, and further, add expressively that facilitates communication and interaction continuously throughout the stimulation. The proposed framework relies on an iterative process of low-level controllers design through experimental data collected from psychological trials. Future work includes the exploration of multiple carebots to cooperatively assist in caregiving tasks based on human-centered design approach.

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