Integrating Assessment for Social Disconnectedness Into Aging Services: Charting a Path Forward

Social disconnectedness poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of older adults. Although research demonstrates that social disconnectedness was prevalent among older adults long before the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis has brought significant attention to this issue, as well as resources to address it. The crisis also shed light on the current gap in evidence and guidance on how best to assess for and address social disconnectedness, especially in practice settings. Researchers from the Georgia Health Policy Center conducted a review of existing assessment tools and processes for social disconnectedness and formulated recommendations for the Georgia Division of Aging Services (DAS) in November 2020. These recommendations involve the use of evidence-based assessments paired with person-centered counseling to address social disconnectedness among at-risk individuals. In this session, researchers from Georgia State University will define social disconnectedness, explain how it differs from related constructs, and discuss the necessity of a holistic approach to assessment; summarize the review and recommendations made to DAS; and present preliminary data from DAS’s initial implementation of the assessment process.

The Older Americans Act, the Aging Network, and the Pandemic

This session provides insights into how the pandemic challenged the capabilities and ingenuity of the Older Americans Act (OAA) programs and the aging network and what it means for in-home and community aging services now and in the future. Speakers will include key aging network stakeholders, who will discuss the overnight evolution of programs serving often isolated older adults.

The First Intervention Study for LGBTQ+ Older Adults With Dementia and Caregivers: COVID-19 Lessons Learned

LGBTQ+ older adults face significant health disparities with higher rates of cognitive impairment and social isolation. Yet, the cognitive health needs of LGBTQ+ adults and caregivers have not been adequately addressed in clinical trials and services. In this presentation, we will share findings from Aging with Pride: IDEA (Innovations in Dementia Empowerment and Action), the first randomly controlled trial (RCT) intervention study designed to improve quality of life of LGBTQ+ adults living with dementia and caregivers, and to reduce institutionalization. In this presentation, we will share preliminary efficacy findings, the effectiveness of culturally responsive approaches, and Covid-19 adaptations, including delivery by virtual chat rather than in-home, technology training, ensuring safety of virtual intervention components, and providing on-going technology support. Preliminary findings suggest a higher intervention retention rate in the virtual delivery as compared to in-home. This study illustrates innovative ways to serve disadvantaged communities in dementia care and aging services.

Evaluation of the Savvy Caregiver Program for LGBTQIA Adults Living With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

Approximately 350,000 LGBTQIA+ older adults in the U.S. currently have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), with projections nearing 1 million by 2030. LGBTQIA+ older adults face challenges in receiving adequate and inclusive care and caregiving support due to the inability to rely on traditional family networks, greater disability, and discrimination when seeking aging services. Working with the Los Angeles LGBT Center Aging in Community Initiative, we evaluated the: 1) Adaptation of the Savvy caregiver training program for care providers of LGBTQIA+ persons living with ADRD; and 2) Feasibility and acceptability of the program. Care providers were very satisfied with the program, strategies, information, and activities of the tailored Savvy program. For psychosocial outcomes, there were trends in greater care planning, increases in asking friends/family for support, and decreased loneliness. Additional research is needed on culturally-relevant aging services and behavioral interventions for care providers of LGBTQIA+ persons living with ADRD.

Lessons On Using Health Research & Technology To Broaden Resources For Older Adults Across The State

The vision of the Michigan state unit on aging is for residents to live well and thrive as they age. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing problem of older adult social isolation. Social engagement and community involvement are keys to healthy aging. Combining state resources with the GetSetUp virtual community allowed for statewide connections and extended resources, creating an almost around-the-clock virtual senior center. Through customized courses the state was able to offer vaccine navigation sign-up classes, among other classes, to help older adults interact with essential health and aging services. As Michigan continues to work to address health equity and social determinants of health beyond the pandemic, technology designed specifically for older adults is an important component of programmatic offerings. It also allows for a public-private partnership opportunity to support older adults as they age.

Development and validation of a measure of supervisory best practices in gerontological social work

Agency-based supervision is essential to skilled practice and staff retention, directly impacting the quality of services. The Supervisory Leaders in Aging (SLA) program was designed to strengthen supervision of the aging services workforce. SLA was implemented in four states and trained 134 social work supervisors. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, comprehensive, and practice-informed measure of supervisory best-practices in gerontological social services. The primary outcome for the SLA program was the Practice Inventory for Supervision in Aging Services (PISAS), which evaluated the frequency of recent use of best practices as identified by the project team and vetted by instructors and an interdisciplinary advisory board. Reliability and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine its psychometric properties. Findings demonstrated the scale had good internal consistency reliability (ɑ = 0.88). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a three-factor solution, 1) Gerontological Social Work Skills, 2) Program Development Skills, and 3) Supervision and Leadership Skills, accounting for 72% of the variability in the 27 items. Gerontological Social Work Skills captured best practices regarding mental health in late life, heightening awareness of elder abuse, and working with families. Program Development Skills captured assessment, measuring outcomes, and translating evidence into practice. Supervision and Leadership Skills captured individual supervision, group supervision and leadership in interdisciplinary practice. Results indicated that PISAS is a reliable and valid measure of use of best practices in gerontological social work supervision. Further implications and limitations of this measure in assessing outcomes of gerontological education and training programs are discussed.

Enhancing Collaborations between our Age-Friendly Community and University Initiatives

Community involvement and synergistic partnerships are key to fostering a holistic approach to programming and outreach that assess and meet the needs of the older adults in our communities. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has created an Age-Friendly network to facilitate these partnerships featuring our designation of Age-Friendly City and Age-Friendly University as well as partnerships with our state and local governments, community aging services providers, and continuing care retirement communities. Through these partnerships, we have identified the landscape of the community, assessed the unique needs older adults, and identified novel solutions. We will discuss our plans for activities that will empower older adults in our community and at our university by promotion connection, collaboration, and inclusion.

Teaching Anti-Racism in an Aging Services Course: Lessons Developed and Lessons Learned

Despite high levels of racial disparities in health and well-being among older adults, curricula addressing how aging services systems contribute to or work to ameliorate these disparities are scarce. This paper introduces a module on inequalities and anti-racism in aging developed for an online course on aging services within a Master of Social Work program. First, materials that help students identify and understand racial inequalities in aging and in the programs that serve older adults are presented. Next, students are introduced to the applied context of how COVID-19 has exacerbated these inequalities. Finally, students critically engage in reflections and assessments of the available resources within aging services and advocacy organizations, providing recommendations for how these systems may better incorporate anti-racist practices. Challenges and opportunities will be discussed, including piloting this module in a virtual, asynchronous environment.

Innovations in Gerontology Education

This session examines innovative approaches to effectively address the aging services workforce needs in rural, Midwestern settings. Presenters will explore career pathways and transfer opportunities in gerontology education, as well as best practices for addressing the educational, professional and personal needs of diverse student populations.

Eliminating Disparities and Achieving Health Equity Using Implementation Science

Eliminating health disparities and achieving equity are central to aging services, programs, and research, as we work to ensure older adults are treated equitably compared to their younger counterparts. Additionally, aging services, programs, and research are not immune from the structural racism and other inequities that plague all facets of our lives, and we must work to eliminate disparities within them as well. This presentation will discuss how Implementation science can be used to advance both of these fronts. Implementation science frameworks can be used to ensure multiple levels of context are considered, which is critical when working against something as pervasive and structural as racism. Implementation science can also guide the adaptation of evidence-based interventions for different populations, including for older adults or for different racial or ethnic groups. Furthermore, there are important ways health equity research can improve implementation science that advance the shared goal of eliminating disparities.