Exploring a new theory of successful aging among low-income older adults in an independent and assisted living community.

The cornerstone to successful aging is maintaining a consistent physical activity routine and healthy diet. This is particular important for aging adults to preserve their independence. However, for low-income aging adults there are significant individual and environmental barriers that reduce their ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Understanding how environmental supports can be found in existing programs geared toward older adults is a way to insure long-term behavioral changes.

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Assisted living facilities as sites of encounter: implications for older adults’ experiences of inclusion and exclusion

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x19000187 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (7) ◽

pp. 1577-1593 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rachel V. Herron ◽

L. M. Funk ◽

D. Spencer ◽

M. Wrathall

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Low Income ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Social Inclusion ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

The Other ◽

Comparative Case Study ◽

Assisted Living Facilities ◽

Canadian City

AbstractMost of the existing literature on inclusion and exclusion among older adults focuses on community-dwelling individuals. In this article, we draw on the results of a comparative case study to explore how older adults in two assisted living settings experience inclusion and exclusion. One site was a low-income facility and the other a higher-end facility in a mid-sized Canadian city. Bridging together geographies of encounter and gerontological approaches on social inclusion, we analyse interviews with tenants and key informants to explore when, where and in what ways these groups experience inclusion and exclusion in these particular settings. Tenants’ narratives reveal how their encounters, and in turn their experiences of exclusion and inclusion are shaped by experiences throughout their lifecourse, the organisation of assisted living spaces, communities beyond the facility, and pervasive discourses of ageism and ‘dementiaism’. We argue that addressing experiences of exclusion for older adults within these settings involves making more time and space for positive encounters and addressing pervasive discourses around ageism and ‘dementiaism’ among tenants and staff.

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Geographic Disparities in Access to Specialized Dementia Care

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2525 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 716-716

Author(s):

Portia Cornell ◽

Wenhan Zhang ◽

Lindsey Smith ◽

Shekinah Fashaw ◽

Kali Thomas

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Low Income ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Geographic Disparities ◽

College Attainment ◽

Black Residents ◽

Specific Care ◽

Home Values ◽

Racial Ethnic

Abstract With novel, previously undescribed data on the availability of dementia-specific assisted living communities (ALs), we analyzed variation among counties in the availability of this important service for persons with dementia. In twenty-one states, we identified 6,961 ALs (16%) with a dementia-specific license/certification. Counties with at least one AL providing dementia-specific care had substantially higher college attainment versus counties that had at least one AL, but no dementia-specific beds: 25% versus 18% (p<0.01). Counties with dementia care also had significantly greater median incomes ($54,000 vs. $46,400), and home values ($159,000 vs. $113,000), lower poverty rates (13.7 percent vs. 16.3 percent), and lower proportions of Black residents (7.8 percent vs. 8.7 percent). Our findings are suggestive of a mismatch in need and availability of residential care options for older adults with ADRD that are also low-income or racial/ethnic minorities. Part of a symposium sponsored by Assisted Living Interest Group.

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Partnerships Matter in Successful Aging: Collaborations That Put Research Into Practice Across the Community

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2850 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 787-787

Author(s):

Tina Sadarangani ◽

Bei Wu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Care Quality ◽

Academic Community ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Community Based ◽

Key Stakeholders

Abstract Healthy aging begins and ends in the community with age friendly health systems and communities. In order to promote healthy aging and help older adults make healthy choices we must engage them as partners in healthcare with access to appropriate information and resources. This symposium will examine four community based studies that engage stakeholders to improve care quality through evidence-based interventions for older adults. These programs are all novel as they seek to engage stakeholders, perform pragmatic interventions, and improve outcomes in non-academic, community-based settings which are often overlooked. Promoting healthy behavior through peer coaching, using early detection and treatment to impact cognitive decline in social day care programs, evaluating the feasibility of screening for palliative care in assisted living and implementing evidence-based dementia care in hospice settings are all explored. Analysis of these initiatives showed improvements in perceived-health, reductions in unnecessary healthcare utilization, and improvements in the physical and emotional health of caregivers, and positive changes in health behaviors. Our discussion will underscore the importance of engaging key stakeholders in study design and implementation to yield better outcomes. Community engagement is an essential part of facilitating aging-in-place, and findings illustrate that this can be achieved through innovative collaborations between researchers and community-based organizations across a variety of settings.

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Successful Aging for Low-Income Older Adults: Towards Design Principles

Proceedings of the 10th EAI International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare ◽

10.4108/eai.16-5-2016.2263347 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Beenish Chaudhry ◽

Kimberly Green-Reeves ◽

Nitesh Chawla

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Low Income ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Design Principles

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Successful Aging Among Assisted Living Community Older Adults

Journal of Nursing Scholarship ◽

10.1111/jnu.12027 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 45 (3) ◽

pp. 238-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Maryalice Kozar-Westman ◽

Meredith Troutman-Jordan ◽

Mary A. Nies

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Successful Aging

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Compromised Vision Impairs Successful Aging Among Assisted Living Residents

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1708 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 530-530

Author(s):

Judith Scott ◽

Ann Mayo

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Visual Acuity ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Daily Living ◽

Age Groups ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Cognitive Screening ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Community dwelling independent older adults’ successful aging is known to be hampered by sensory and cognitive impairments. However, little is known about to what degree these impairments affect successful aging among assisted living (AL) residents. The purpose of this quantitative study, conducted in three (AL) facilities, was to describe factors affecting successful aging. A total of 88 older adults (M=89.0, SD=7.54), mostly women (n=68), completed hearing (CALFRAST-Strong procedure at 75cm, 35cm, and 2cm), vision (Jaeger reading [proximate], Snellen Acuity [visual acuity]), and cognitive screening (MiniCog, Borson et al), as well as the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Successful Aging Inventory (SAI, Troutman et al, 2011). Most (68%) demonstrated hearing loss >25DB, with a significant difference demonstrated between age groups (age 65-89; n=38) (90-100; n=49) with the older group demonstrating worse hearing (F(1,80)=5.9, p=.017). Some vision compromise was noted for both reading (14.3%) and visual acuity (10.8%). Over one third of participants (34.1%) demonstrated compromised cognition. The SAI results indicated most participants were managing IADLs well (M=6.11, SD=1.42) and aging successfully (M=63.39, SD=9.04). Hearing, cognition and IADLs were not significantly related to successful aging. However, when compared to those without vision issues, participants with compromised vision, both reading and visual acuity, scored significantly lower on the SAI (reading F(1,75)= 24.9,p=.000; visual acuity F(1,28)=4.31, p=000). The infrastructure provided by AL settings may compensate for hearing, cognition, and IADL problems, but not as well for vision problems. Interventions supporting AL residents’ vision should be a priority to improve successful aging.

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