Research on Aging最新文献

Objectives: This study investigates the longitudinal association between spousal caregiving types and cognitive trajectories among middle-aged and older Chinese adults, with a focus on gender differences. Method: Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) (2011-2018) were analyzed, covering 4568 couples aged 45 and above. Caregiving types were Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) caregiving, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) caregiving, and both ADLs/IADLs caregiving. Cognitive function was assessed using tests of memory, orientation, numeric ability, and visuospatial ability. Latent growth curve modeling was used to examine associations between caregiving types and cognitive trajectories. Results: Spouses who only provided IADLs caregiving had slower cognitive decline compared to those who did not provide caregiving, regardless of gender. However, those who provided ADLs caregiving had faster cognitive decline compared to non-caregivers, especially in women. Discussion: These findings highlight the importance of caregiving types as well as the gendered effects of caregiving on cognitive trajectories.

Recent decades have seen state successes in rebalancing Medicaid long-term care from institutional care (e.g., nursing homes) into home and community settings. However, significant barriers can prevent access to home and community-based services (HCBS) among older adults and persons with dementia. Qualitative research on potential innovations and solutions in the contemporary context with attention to a wider range of state-level policy contexts is limited. Drawing on interviews with 49 key informants including state Medicaid officials, HCBS providers, and advocates for persons with dementia across 11 states, we examined perceived solutions to barriers. Key informants articulated a range of potential solutions and innovations, ranging from tangible or realized policy changes to 'magic wand' solutions. Policy research has typically focused on the former; excluding the latter may miss opportunities to envision and design a more effective long-term care system for persons living with dementia and older adults.

This study examines religiosity patterns across childhood and later adulthood and their associations with later-life health using an experimental module from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study (N = 1649; Mean Age = 64.0). Latent class analysis is used to categorize individuals by commonalities in religious attendance, religious identity, and spiritual identity. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations are then explored using probable depression, disability, and mortality as health indicators. Results reveal complex patterns, often characterized by declining attendance and fluctuating identity. Relationships with health appear stronger in cross-sectional analyses, suggesting that some associations may be non-causal. Individuals with consistently strong religiosity show significantly better psychological health compared to their relatively non-religious counterparts. Moreover, the absence of religiosity in later adulthood is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Overall, the findings support the promotion of religiosity whilst acknowledging individual variations and highlighting the need for more individualistic approaches to the study of religion and health.

Objectives: We investigate whether volunteering is associated with a reduced risk of first heart attack in later life and whether purpose in life moderates this relationship. Methods: Cox proportional hazards were used to examine seven waves of data (2006-2018) from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years and older (N = 5,079). Results: Volunteering a moderate number of hours was associated with a 46% lower risk of heart attack compared to non-volunteers. The association between high time-commitment volunteering and heart attack risk was contingent on level of purpose in life: compared to non-volunteers, people with high purpose in life who volunteered 100 + hours had the lowest risk of heart attack. Discussion: Meaningful volunteer activities may be one way for older adults to reduce their risk of heart attack.

We examined whether religious involvement was associated with cognitive function among older adults in the 2006-2020 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Using growth curve analysis, we found the association between religious involvement and cognition varied by facet of religious involvement and race and Hispanic ethnicity. Attending religious services with friends was associated with higher initial levels of cognitive function (b = 0.22, p < .05). For Hispanic older adults, frequent attendance at religious services was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline (b = 0.16, p < .01). Stratified models by race and Hispanic ethnicity demonstrated that religious salience was associated with lower initial levels of cognitive function among non-Hispanic White adults (b = -0.19, p < .01). We found no association between religious involvement and cognitive function among non-Hispanic Black respondents. In sum, elements of religious involvement are positively or negatively related to cognitive function in later life and vary by race and ethnicity.

Shared appraisals and collaboration within couples play important roles in optimizing health. Less is known about concordance regarding collaboration, factors associated with concordance, and implications for health. Data from 2,761 couples from the Health and Retirement Study (2014/2016 and 2016/2018 waves) were examined to determine within-couple concordance in completion of two tasks (family decisions and medical forms). The majority of couples were concordant regarding who makes family decisions (69.7%) and who completes medical forms (64.4%); 62% agreed they make family decisions collaboratively versus 25.5% completing medical forms collaboratively. Concordance was significantly associated with greater marital support and longer marital duration. Concordance was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms 2 years later, but the link between concordance in making major family decisions and self-rated health differed by age and gender. Future research at the intersection of concordance and collaboration may shed important light on how older couples navigate tasks and decisions.

This study examined differences in middle-aged adults' preferred features of their current versus future residential environments and how these differences varied by health and social characteristics. A sample of 1,651 Korean middle-aged adults (aged 49-64) rated their preferences for each of 12 features (e.g., proximity to family/relatives, house price) regarding current and future residential environments, separately. Respondents considered "accessibility to health services" and "opportunity for leisure activities" more important for future residential environments than for current ones. Respondents with poorer health considered features that help them compensate for health decline more important, while those who contacted friends/neighbors more frequently and participated in more cultural activities considered features that help them maintain their social interactions more important for future residential environments than the past. Our findings identified middle-aged adults' various demands for residential features after retirement, which reflect their strategic reactions to future needs for successful adaptation in later years.

This study examines whether age-related cognitive decline varies by race/ethnicity and how edentulism moderates these effects. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2020), including 23,669 respondents aged 51 and above across 189,352 person-wave observations were analyzed. Of all respondents, 13.4% were edentulous at baseline, with 65.4% identified as non-Hispanic White, 20.5% non-Hispanic Black, and 14.18% Hispanic. Results from linear mixed-effect models indicated that compared to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black participants exhibited lower baseline cognition scores but slower cognitive decline with age. For edentulous Hispanic participants, this slower rate of decline was attenuated by 0.03 units per year (95% CI: -0.06, -0.01, p = .049). The findings highlighted the need for targeted interventions and policies to improve oral health, particularly for Hispanic populations. Addressing oral health disparities could help mitigate cognitive decline in this group and reduce cognitive health disparities across racial/ethnic groups.

Using data from Wave 5 (2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study, this research examines the implications of six social leisure activities for cognition among married and unmarried men and women in Mexico, while considering their physical health and depressive symptoms. The findings reveal some marital status and gender differences and similarities. This study indicates that church attendance and volunteering might be related to poorer cognition, whereas a training course, club participation, board games, and remote communication can provide cognitive benefits. Despite poor vision, poor hearing, and functional limitations, a training course, board games, and remote communication might be associated with better cognition. Yet, in case of poor hearing and depressive symptoms, volunteering, club participation, and board games might be linked to poorer cognition. The insights from this study can help develop intervention programs for improving later-life cognitive functioning through social leisure participation, particularly among individuals with deteriorating health.