Vaccination Motivators and Deterrents Among Undervaccinated Older Adults in North Dakota.

Despite increased risk of morbidity and mortality among older adults due to preventable infectious diseases such as influenza, shingles, pneumonia, and COVID-19, many forego receiving some, if not all, of these vaccinations. This study examines vaccination motivators and deterrents for undervaccinated older adults in North Dakota (ND). Adults aged 65+ in ND were mailed a survey (n = 901) with questions gauging vaccination behaviors and perceptions, with 132 of these indicating not receiving certain vaccinations.

Reliance on sources of immunization information and vaccine uptake among older adults in a rural state: The mediating role of trust.

Older adults are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of infectious diseases than younger individuals. However, regardless of the importance and effectiveness of vaccines to reduce morbidity and mortality, issues remain with vaccine hesitancy among this population. Older adults' sources of immunization information and their level of trust in those sources may play a role in their vaccination behaviors.

"Stronger Than I Thought I Was": Older Adults' Coping Across Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Objectives: Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older adults developed coping strategies to adapt to the necessary social distancing precautions; however, over time, especially as vaccines became available, their need and ability to adapt and cope shifted. This longitudinal, mixed-methods study investigates changes in older adults' perceptions of coping across the first 2 years of the pandemic.

Research Design And Methods: Between April 2020 and June 2022, 5 waves of interviews were conducted with 76 Midwestern older adults aged 70-97.

Vaccine attitudes and acceptance among older adults in North Dakota: Understanding demographic characteristic variability.

Objectives: Older adults face increased risks from infectious diseases which are often preventable with vaccines. The current study examines demographic variation in vaccine hesitancy among older adults in North Dakota.

Methods: A mailed survey assessing age, gender, years of education, self-rated health, rurality, and political leaning as well as vaccine attitudes and vaccine acceptance was conducted with 739 older adults (65+), oversampled from rural counties.

Aging Out-of-Place: Perceptions of Successful Aging Among Aging Burundian Refugees in the United States.

Background And Objectives: Refugees flee their home countries due to life-threatening situations and are resettled in countries such as the United States. For older refugees, their cultural background and forced migration experience may affect how they perceive successful aging in their host countries. As such, it is important to understand how aging refugees perceive aging well to enhance their well-being in the host communities.

Untapped Insight: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults' Advice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Objectives: Due to a lifetime of experience, older adults are uniquely positioned to contribute advice and insight to others during a historical, societal crisis such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This qualitative study explores the solicited advice older adults offered their peers, family members, and communities throughout the first year of the pandemic.

Research Design And Methods: A sample of 72 older adults aged 70-97 from Minnesota and North Dakota were asked what advice they would provide to others in June 2020 and again in April/May 2021.

Shifts in Older Adults' Social Connections Throughout the Initial Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed older adults to increased health risks, yet social distancing precautions also heightened risks to their social well-being. This mixed-methods study explores changes in older adults' satisfaction with social engagement and interpersonal connections throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Design And Methods: A Midwestern sample of 76 older adults aged 70-97 completed a series of 4 interviews from March 2020 through April 2021 about their experiences with COVID-19 social distancing precautions.

Older Adults' Loneliness in Early COVID-19 Social Distancing: Implications of Rurality.

Objectives: Older adults face greater health risks due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet preventative social distancing measures may cause increased social isolation, potentially heightening risk of loneliness. In this mixed-methods study we examine changes in older adults' loneliness due to social distancing, explore variability in perceptions, and identify whether such changes differ by rurality.

Methods: A Midwestern sample of 76 older adults aged 70-97 (mean age = 82; 74% female; 95% White; 39% rural) completed a phone interview about their experiences with social distancing due to COVID-19.

Longitudinal Associations of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism With Perceived Mastery and Constraints for Aging Adults.

It has not been well understood how conscientiousness and neuroticism are associated with two related but distinct dimensions of perceived control (i.e., perceived mastery and constraints) among aging adults.

Longitudinal Implications of Social Integration for Age and Gender Differences in Late-Life Physical Functioning.

Social integration has documented benefits for late-life health; yet, little is known about its impacts on trajectories of physical functioning. This study examines age and gender differences in the longitudinal associations between social integration and activities of daily living (ADLs) using a hierarchical linear model with three waves of survey data collected over 4 years from the Social Integration and Aging Study ( = 400; baseline mean age = 80.3).

Implications of relationships with family, friends, and neighbors for changes in women's well-being in late life.

This study examined whether relationships with family, friends, and neighbors (both satisfaction and number in the social network) were associated with older women's well-being concurrently and over two years. Additionally, age differences among older women were explored. Women aged 60+ ( = 224, M = 80) were sampled from the Social Integration and Aging Study.

Lessons in Resilience: Initial Coping Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Objectives: In addition to increased physical health risks, older adults may also experience risks to their mental health and social well-being due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Yet, older adults may be uniquely able to cope given their life experiences and coping mechanisms. This study explores older adults' coping experiences and strategies during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Convoy Model and Later-Life Family Relationships.

The convoy model of social relations was developed to provide a heuristic framework for conceptualizing and understanding social relationships. In this Original Voices article, we begin with an overview of the theoretical tenets of the convoy model, including its value in addressing situational and contextual influences, especially variability in family forms and cultural diversity across the life span, but particularly in older adulthood. We also consider the contributions of the convoy model to the field of family gerontology by illustrating concepts, methods, and measures used to test the model, as well as its usefulness and limitations in addressing contemporary issues facing older adults.

Longitudinal Stress-Buffering Effects of Social Integration for Late-Life Functional Health.

Stress can negatively affect multiple aspects of health, including functional health, among older adults, who are likely to face unique, age-related stressful experiences. Previous research has addressed the protective effects of social relations (i.e.

Challenges Faced by Family Caregivers: Multiple Perspectives on Eldercare.

The focus of this study was to identify challenges to family eldercare provision from the perspectives of both caregivers and community stakeholders. This qualitative study used data from 306 family caregivers and 116 stakeholders (aging, social, and health service professionals who work with older adults and their families) in North Dakota. Data sources included an American Association of Retired Persons-ND survey of 110 caregivers, a survey by the ND Family Caregiver Support Program (196 participants), and a Statewide Caregiving Stakeholder Survey (116 participants).

Convoys of Social Relations in Cross-National Context.

Purpose Of The Study: This study examines national variations in social networks among older adults across 4 countries in diverse regions of the world: Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, and the United States. The aim is to provide insights into universal as well as unique attributes of social networks in later life.

Design And Methods: The analyses examine convoy characteristics among adults aged 50+ in metropolitan areas of Japan (N = 557), Lebanon (N = 284), Mexico (N = 556), and the United States (N = 583).

The role of attention in binding shape to color.

Pictures of easily-identifiable objects with novel colors (e.g. a blue frog) or of forms with arbitrary colors (e.