Age-based Analysis of the Perceptions of Aging and Successful Aging in Malaysia

Given that ageism could have detrimental effects on the aging society, knowing how people of different age groups perceive aging and successful aging is important. This study collected data from 648 respondents aged between 18 and 80 years old for an age-based analysis of the perceptions toward aging and successful aging. The findings revealed that generally, being healthy, happy, and physically active are considered important aspects of successful aging. Regardless of age, health is perceived as the most fundamental part of life. Both the psychosocial and health factors are critical aspects of successful aging. Hence, it is critical to look into the provision of better healthcare and public facilities for older adults, to find ways to reduce negative attitudes toward older people and to assist older adults to live successfully at old age.

Collective Perceptions of Aging and Older Persons Held by Students From Eight Healthcare Professions

In order to increase the number of students entering the geriatric workforce, an understanding of factors influencing career preference and what may prevent students from pursuing geriatric careers is necessary. Using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach, the aim of this study was to provide insight for geriatric educators regarding the collective perceptions of aging and older persons held by 864 students from eight healthcare professions. Quantitative questions assessed students’ attitudes (Geriatric Attitudes Scale). Student responses to four open-ended questions were assessed using conventional content analysis. Results included rich narrative examples of healthcare professions students’ perceptions and understanding of the aging process, as well as myths and misconceptions of aging and older persons that can be used to inform geriatric curricula across multiple health professions training and education programs. Geriatric education is a critical avenue to correct misperceptions, quell ageism and address the current shortage in the geriatrician workforce.

Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Dementia Caregivers: Evidence from the UK Protect Study

Contact with older adults impact the perceptions people have towards their own aging self (Jarrott & Savla, 2015) and how they prepare for their own age-related change (Kornadt et al., 2015). Caregivers have close, intimate contact with older adults, yet no research explores how that contact may impact caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging. In this exploratory study, we compare perceptions of one’s own aging between current and previous formal caregivers, non-formal caregivers, and never-caregivers. We utilized data from 1978 informal caregivers, 247 formal caregivers, and 5586 never-caregivers of the 2019 wave of the UK Protect Study. We conducted ANCOVA tests to compare global levels of Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) gains and losses, AARC gains and losses specific to cognition, attitudes towards one’s own aging, and felt age across the three subgroups of participants with different caregiving roles. Omnibus results suggested that there were significant group differences (p<.05) in global levels of AARC gains and losses, AARC gains specific to cognition, and attitudes towards one’s own aging (p<.05) for female, but not male, caregivers. However, effect sizes were either small or negligible. Therefore, despite frequent contact with older adults, dementia caregivers may not have better or worse self-perceptions of aging than non-caregivers. Such findings may be reflective of intergenerational ambivalence, and future work should consider how the nature of the caregiving situation (i.e. relationship quality, intensity of the care, caregiver burden) shapes caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging, especially over time as caregivers navigate their own aging processes.

Cohort Differences in Well-Being Among Midlife and Older Women: Role of Self-Perceptions of Aging

The current study examines how cohort differences across two age-matched groups of midlife and older women from the Health and Retirement Study are associated with well-being and self-perceptions of aging (SPA). Women aged 51–60 (n=2318) and 61–70 (n=1650) were selected from the 2008 and 2018 waves. No significant cohort differences were identified for life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) or positive SPA (Lawton, 1975; Liang & Bollen, 1983). The 2008 cohort of midlife women reported significantly higher negative SPA compared to 2018 (p<.05). Linear regression analyses find that cohort and SPA are significantly associated with life satisfaction in both age groups, and that the association of negative SPA differs by cohort for the midlife women (p<.01). Implications are discussed within the life course developmental framework.

Multitasking in Older Adults’ Daily Activities: A Preliminary Investigation

The ability to multitask, defined as conducting two or more activities simultaneously, is important in daily life. The majority of prior work has examined multitasking in laboratory settings. However, less is known about how multitasking in daily activities is related to older adults’ executive functioning and perceptions of aging. The current study investigated these relationships in a sample of 33 older adults aged 65-81 (M=70.0, SD=3.6). Participants were asked to describe activities they did each day and estimate time spent in each activity across fourteen days; multiple activities reported in the same time frame were considered multitasking. Executive function was measured at baseline using the Trail Making Test Part B (TMTB), with higher scores indicating worse performance. Expectations regarding aging were measured at baseline using the Expectations Regarding Aging (ERA-12) survey, with higher scores indicating more positive perceptions. Twenty-seven participants (81.82%) reported at least one instance of multitasking in the fourteen-day period. Participants were divided into three groups based on the median number of reported multitasks: no multitasking (n=6), low multitasking (≤4; n=15), and high multitasking (>4; n=12). Although there were no significant differences within the ANOVA, participants who reported low multitasking trended towards poorer executive function and more positive expectations of aging (M_TMTB=100.28, M_ERA= 64.88) than both no multitasking (M_TMTB=82.12, M_ERA=50.46) and high multitasking groups (M_TMTB=94.90, M_ERA= 54.29). Additional research should investigate these possible relationships in larger samples and explore how covariates, such as gender and age, may moderate possible relationships.

Views of Aging During the Corona Pandemic

In the Covid-19 pandemic, media stories and government reports have emphasized the heightened risk of being “old” and placed a spotlight on the way we think and talk about older adults and aging. In this symposium we investigate how the pandemic and the public discourse about older adults has shaped views of aging in different countries. Bellingtier et al. report on German children’s views of older adults before and during the pandemic. Children placed greater distance between themselves and older adults both before and after the pandemic, suggesting early ageism in children that predates the pandemic. Levy et al. provide experimental evidence that media stereotypes about aging and Covid-19 influence the mental health of older American adults, both in positive and negative. Schwartz and Ayalon found that greater perceptions of age-based discrimination in the healthcare system by Israeli adults 50+ were significantly related to greater Covid-19 worries. Greater worry can motivate older adults to take precautions, but be detrimental if it becomes too high. In line with this finding, Tingvold et al. found in a study with older adults from Luxembourg that more Covid-19 worry predicted feeling older four months later, but only for those in worse health. Finally, Terracciano examined longitudinal change in subjective age and found that American adults reported feeling younger after the emergence of Covid-19 than before, suggesting that perceptions of aging partly reflect a coping process to counter the negativity in the media.