scholarly journals Relationship of Cannabis Use With Immediate, Delayed, and Working Memory: The Health and Retirement Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 708-708
Author(s):  
Madison Maynard ◽  
Daniel Paulson ◽  
Michael Dunn ◽  
Robert Dvorak
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Word List ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Cannabis Use ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Immediate Memory ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Predominantly Female ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Past research has examined relationship between cannabis use and cognition among adolescents and young adults, but less is known about older adults despite rapidly increasing recreational and therapeutic cannabis use by this demographic. These relationships were explored cross-sectionally using data from the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Dependent variables included immediate and delayed memory (10-item word list) and working memory (serial sevens; range 0-5). Cannabis use was categorized as non-user (n=886), past-user (n=334), current moderate (<52 uses/year; n=36), and current heavy (52+ uses/year; n=92). Mean age was 67.59 years (range: 50-98, SD=10.76). The sample was predominantly female (59%), and Caucasian (67%). Uncontrolled analyses found that cannabis use group was associated with immediate memory (F=6.14, p<.001), delayed memory (F=3.75, p=.01), and working memory (F=6.91, p<.001). Analyses controlled for gender, education, age, and race found that cannabis use group was no longer associated with delayed memory (F=1.74, p=.16) or working memory (F=1.66, p=.17); however, cannabis use was associated with immediate memory (F=3.75, p=.01) in controlled analyses. Current heavy users’ (M=4.94, SE=.16) immediate memory worse than that of both non-users (M=5.48, SE=.06) and past users (M=5.49, SE=.09; p<.05 for both). Gender, education, age, and race significantly associated with immediate, delayed, and working memory, respectively (p<.05 for all). In conclusion, relative deficits in immediate memory, but not delayed memory or working memory, were associated with current heavy cannabis use among older adults. In combination with other findings, these results may inform development of safe-use guidelines for older adults.

scholarly journals INTERNET USE AND LONELINESS OF OLDER ADULTS OVER TIME: THE MEDIATION EFFECT OF SOCIAL CONTACT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S194-S194
Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Shinyi Wu ◽  
Iris Chi
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Total Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Longitudinal Association ◽  
Retirement Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Internet is increasingly popular among older adults and have changed interpersonal interactions. However, it remains controversial whether older people are more or less lonely with internet use. This paper tests the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness among older people. One pathway that explains the association, the mediation effect of social contact, was examined. Data from the 2006, 2010 and 2014 waves of Health and Retirement Study was used. Hierarchical liner modeling results showed internet use was related to decreased loneliness over 12-year period of time (b=-0.044, p<.001). Internet use was associated with more social contact with family and friends overtime (b=0.261, p<.001), social contact was related to less perceived loneliness longitudinally (b=0.097, p<.001). The total effect of internet use on loneliness is -0.054 and the mediated effect is -0.025. The findings imply that online activities can be effective for reducing loneliness for older people through increased social contact.

Dental Care Use, Edentulism, and Systemic Health among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 002203452110190
Author(s):  
C.D. Meyerhoefer ◽  
J.V. Pepper ◽  
R.J. Manski ◽  
J.F. Moeller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Systemic Health ◽  
Time Invariant ◽  
Retirement Study

Past research suggests there are systematic associations between oral health and chronic illness among older adults. Although causality has not yet been credibly established, periodontitis has been found to be associated with higher risk of both heart disease and stroke. We advance this literature by estimating the direct association between dental care use and systemic health using multiple waves of the 1992 to 2016 Health and Retirement Study. Through the inclusion of individual fixed effects in our regression models, we account for unobservable time-invariant characteristics of individuals that might otherwise bias estimates of the association between dental care use and health. We find statistically significant negative associations between dental care use and the number of health conditions, self-reported overall health, the incidence of heart disease, and the incidence of stroke. In particular, the use of dental care within the past 2 y is associated with a 2.7% reduction in the likelihood of being diagnosed with a heart condition and a reduction in the likelihood of a stroke diagnosis of between 5.3% and 11.6%. We also find large positive correlations between edentulism and the measures of chronic illness. Associations from models estimated separately for men and women are qualitatively similar to one another. These findings provide additional motivation for the consideration of a Medicare dental benefit.

scholarly journals Everyday Discrimination and Kidney Function Among Older Adults: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-521
Author(s):  
Ryon J Cobb ◽  
Roland J Thorpe ◽  
Keith C Norris
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Kidney Function ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Disease Epidemiology ◽  
Lower Egfr ◽  
Everyday Discrimination ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Background With advancing age, there is an increase in the time of and number of experiences with psychosocial stressors that may lead to the initiation and/or progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our study tests whether one type of experience, everyday discrimination, predicts kidney function among middle and older adults. Methods The data were from 10 973 respondents (ages 52–100) in the 2006/2008 Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing biennial nationally representative survey of older adults in the United States. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) derives from the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Our indicator of everyday discrimination is drawn from self-reports from respondents. Ordinary Least Squared regression (OLS) models with robust standard errors are applied to test hypotheses regarding the link between everyday discrimination and kidney function. Results Everyday discrimination was associated with poorer kidney function among respondents in our study. Respondents with higher everyday discrimination scores had lower eGFR after adjusting for demographic characteristics (B = −1.35, p < .05), and while attenuated, remained significant (B = −0.79, p < .05) after further adjustments for clinical, health behavior, and socioeconomic covariates. Conclusions Our study suggests everyday discrimination is independently associated with lower eGFR. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors in predicting insufficiency in kidney function among middle-aged and older adults.

Predictors of use of digital technology for communication among older adults: analysis of data from the health and retirement study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brady Lund
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Intellectual Curiosity ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Study

Purpose This study aims to examine the potential impact of eleven social and psychological factors – anxiety, closeness with family and friends, intellectual curiosity, life control, life satisfaction, physical health, religiosity, self-esteem, sociability, socioeconomic status and works status and demands – on the use of digital technology by older adults for the purpose of communicating with family and friends. Design/methodology/approach A path analysis, which uses ordinary least squares regression to examine relationships among variables, is used to perform a secondary analysis of data from the 2018 Health and Retirement Study. A correlation matrix, which displays the direct relationships among variables, is also incorporated. Findings Statistically significant direct influences are revealed between the use of digital technology for communication and three factors: intellectual curiosity, self-esteem, and sociability. These three factors are themselves moderated by the influences of the remaining eight factors. While most factors relate to an increase in the adoption of social uses of digital technology, increased anxiety and increased work demands (for those who are employed) are related to decreased adoption, while increased religiosity has a mixed effect (reduced intellectual curiosity but increased sociability). These findings suggest a few avenues for identifying and intervening in the lives of physically and socially isolated older adults, by illuminating correlates of technology adoption. Originality/value While many studies have examined factors that correlate to increased technology adoption, this study is original in that it focuses specifically on the use of digital technology for communication with family and friends (i.e. use of email, messaging, social media) while also focusing on social and psychological factors (many of which can be changed through intervention) rather than innate and uncontrollable factors like age, gender and ethnicity.

How Self-Employed Older Adults Differ by Age: Evidence and Implications From the Health and Retirement Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cal J Halvorsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Background and Objectives There has been increased attention in recent years on self-employment in later life, with about 1 in 5 workers past of the age of 50 working for themselves. This study aims to build upon previous documentation of the characteristics of self-employed older adults by estimating how these characteristics vary by age. Research Design and Methods Using 7 waves of the Health and Retirement Study with a sample of more than 16,000 working older adults, this study considers how the association between self-employment and sociodemographic characteristics; indicators of human, social, and financial capital; and risk tolerance differ between adults aged 50–61 and 62 years and older. Binary logistic regression and seemingly unrelated estimation are used to estimate and compare the characteristics by age group. Results Compared to wage-and-salary work and controlling for all other factors in the models, the oldest self-employed group was more likely to identify as Black, report lower health, and receive health insurance from several sources than the younger group. Further, the older group reported lower individual earnings from work yet higher total household income (less individual earnings) and was also less likely to formally volunteer at the highest commitment levels. Discussion and Implications With some exceptions, these results indicate that the diversity of self-employed older adults within traditional retirement age is greater than among those before this age. Implications regarding how access to key safety net programs, such as Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare, may lead to this finding are discussed.

scholarly journals Does working memory protect against auditory distraction in older adults?

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yatin Mahajan ◽  
Jeesun Kim ◽  
Chris Davis
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Correct Response ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Visual Task ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Background Past research indicates that when younger adults are engaged in a visual working memory task, they are less distracted by novel auditory stimuli than when engaged in a visual task that does not require working memory. The current study aimed to determine whether working memory affords the same protection to older adults. Method We examined behavioral and EEG responses in 16 younger and 16 older adults to distractor sounds when the listeners performed two visual tasks; one that required working memory (W1) and the other that did not (W0). Auditory distractors were presented in an oddball paradigm, participants were exposed to either standard tones (600 Hz: 80%) or various novel environmental sounds (20%). Results It was found that: 1) when presented with novel vs standard sounds, older adults had faster correct response times in the W1 visual task than in the W0 task, indicating that they were less distracted by the novel sound; there was no difference in error rates. Younger adults did not show a task effect for correct response times but made slightly more errors when a novel sound was presented in the W1 task compared to the W0 task. 2) In older adults (but not the younger adults), the amplitude of N1 was smaller in the W1 condition compared to the W0 condition. 3) The working memory manipulation had no effect on MMN amplitude in older adults. 4) For the W1 compared to W0 task, the amplitude of P3a was attenuated for the older adults but not for the younger adults. Conclusions These results suggest that during the working memory manipulation older adults were able to engage working memory to reduce the processing of task-irrelevant sounds.

Satisfaction with aging results in reduced risk for falling

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liat Ayalon
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Protective Mechanism ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Falls In Older Adults ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Retirement Study

ABSTRACTBackground:Falls are highly frequent in older adults and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The present study was designed to assess the role of satisfaction with one's aging process as a predictor of the risk for falling over a four-year period and to identify potential mediators of this relationship.Methods:The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a US nationally representative sample of individuals over the age of 50 years and their spouse of any age. The present study was based on the 2008–2012 waves of the HRS. Analyses were restricted to 4,121 respondents over the age of 50 years, who had fall data in 2008 and 2012 and were eligible to complete the satisfaction with aging measure as part of the 2008 psychosocial questionnaire.Results:Overall, 38.1% of the sample reported having fallen at least once between 2006 and 2008 and 40.7% reported having fallen at least once between 2010 and 2012. Higher levels of satisfaction with aging in 2008 were found to be protective against falls assessed in 2012 (OR[95%CI] = 0.88[0.79–0.98]) even after adjustment for age, gender, education, ethnicity, medical status, functional status, cognitive functioning, walking speed, balance, vision, depressive symptoms, physical activities, and past falls. Bootstrap procedures have shown that the effect of satisfaction with aging on falls is partially accounted for through its effect on functional decline.Conclusions:The findings point to the important role of satisfaction with aging as a potential protective mechanism against falls. The results call for the development of psychosocial interventions to reduce falls in older adults.

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