Religious Involvement and the Impact on Living Alone and Depression: An Examination of Gendered Pathways Post-Widowhood.

This study analyzed data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the association between widowhood and depression. The results revealed that both men and women experienced increased depression after widowhood, with women exhibiting a better recovery pattern over time. Religiosity, especially attending religious services, was found to be a beneficial coping mechanism for both genders, although men were less religious than women.

How Medicaid Financial Eligibility Rules Exclude Financially and Medically Vulnerable Older Adults.

Millions of older Americans rely on Medicaid because it is the largest payer of long-term services and supports. To qualify for the program, low-income individuals age 65 and over must meet income standards based on the dated Federal Poverty Level as well as asset tests that are often viewed as quite stringent. There has long been concern that current eligibility standards exclude many adults with significant health and financial vulnerabilities.

The effect of the right care, right place, right time (R3) initiative on Medicare health service use among older affordable housing residents.

Objective: To determine the effect of an affordable housing-based supportive services intervention, which partnered with health and community service providers, on Medicare health service use among residents.

Data Sources: Analyses used aggregated fee-for-service Medicare claims data from 2017 to 2020 for beneficiaries living in 34 buildings in eastern Massachusetts.

Study Design: Using a quasi-experimental design, a "difference-in-differences" framework was employed to isolate changes in outcomes, focusing on changes in pre- and post-intervention health service use across two stages of the intervention.

Are Wealthy Older Adults who use Medicaid Opportunistically Accessing the Program?

Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term services and supports (LTSS) and millions of older Americans rely on this means-tested program, especially during late life. There has been longstanding concern that wealthy older adults may be accessing the program by opportunistically divesting assets in order to qualify for coverage rather than by having high medical or LTSS expenses on which they spend down their resources to eligibility levels. Few current studies analyze this question longitudinally.

The Effects of Religiosity on Depression Trajectories After Widowhood.

This longitudinal study analyzed data from the 2006-2016 waves of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Trajectories of depression among older adults ≥ 50 years ( = 1254) were examined over time to explore patterns of depression among those entering widowhood and the potential impact of religiosity on depressive symptoms during various stages of widowhood. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis was used to examine the association between widowhood and depression and the role of religiosity as a moderator of this association.

The impact of health-related supports in senior housing on ambulance transfers and visits to emergency departments: The Right Care, Right Place, Right Time Project.

Objective: To test the impact of placing a wellness team (nurse and social worker) in senior housing on ambulance transfers and visits to emergency departments over 18 months.

Data Sources/study Setting: Intervention sites included seven Boston-area buildings, with five buildings at comparable settings acting as controls. Data derive from building-level ambulance data from emergency responders; building-level Medicare claims data on emergency department utilization; and individual-level baseline assessment data from participants in the intervention (n = 353) and control (n = 208) sites.

Medicaid Utilization among Middle-age and Older Adults: A Health and Retirement Study Longitudinal Analysis (1998 to 2014).

With over fifteen million older adults in the United States relying on the means-tested Medicaid program for healthcare coverage, there has been concern over rising Medicaid costs among this rapidly growing age group. Few studies have longitudinally examined trends among older beneficiaries over time to identify factors related to Medicaid utilization and to better understand how potential coverage changes might impact this group. This study used the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 8,162) to analyze a representative sample of those aged 50 and older to ascertain demographic, health, and economic factors associated with Medicaid utilization over a sixteen-year period.

Who are the Most At-Risk Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era? It's Not Just Those in Nursing Homes.

COVID-19 has taken a terrible toll on the nursing home population. Yet, there are the number of seniors living in the community who are also extremely vulnerable because they suffer from respiratory illnesses. Using the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study we analyze this group of roughly 7 million seniors living in the community and find that they have multiple risk factors that make them particularly exposed.

Health Benefits Associated With Three Helping Behaviors: Evidence for Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between three helping behaviors and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD; heart attack, stroke; fatal and nonfatal), with an exploration of gender differences. The study is framed within the caregiving system model. Helping others is argued to be an evolved characteristic of humans that yields beneficial health effects.

Social Activities, Incident Cardiovascular Disease, and Mortality.

Objective: This study examined the relationships between social activities, incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-CVD mortality among older adults in the United States.

Method: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2010) were employed. Two measures of social engagement, volunteering and informal helping, along with two measures of social participation, attendance at religious services and social group meetings, were included.

Volunteering and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Does Helping Others Get "Under the Skin?".

Purpose Of The Study: This study investigated whether volunteering was related to 5 risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among middle-aged and older adults.

Design And Methods: Data from the 2004 and 2006 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 7,803) were examined. Logistic regression was used to describe the relationships among volunteering and central adiposity, hypertension, lipid dysregulation, elevated blood glucose levels, and high inflammation, along with 2 indexes of the MetS.

Race differences in the relationship between formal volunteering and hypertension.

Objectives: This study investigated race differences in the relationship between formal volunteering and hypertension prevalence among middle-aged and older adults.

Method: Using data from the 2004 and 2006 Health and Retirement Study (N = 5,666; 677 African Americans and 4,989 whites), we examined regression models stratified by race to estimate relationships among hypertension prevalence, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and volunteer status and hours spent volunteering among persons aged 51 years old and older.

Results: White volunteers had a lower risk of hypertension than white nonvolunteers.

The living arrangements of older immigrants from the former Soviet Union: a comparison of Israel and the United States.

With the unprecedented emigration from the former Soviet Union (FSU) during the 1990s as context, this study described the living arrangements of older FSU immigrants living in Israel and the US. Living arrangement choices represented an important strategy for coping with the migration process. Census data from Israel and the US were employed to examine the relationships among living arrangements (independent households, multigenerational households, and extended households) and personal characteristics, including duration of residence, Jewish identity, education, and home ownership.

Volunteering and hypertension risk in later life.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between volunteer activity and hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, renal failure, and cognitive impairment.

Method: Employing data from the Health and Retirement Study, we estimated regression models of hypertension status that include volunteer activity and psychosocial and health behavior risk factors for middle-aged and older persons.

Results: Multivariate analyses showed volunteers had lower hypertension risk and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure than nonvolunteers and that a threshold effect was present, whereby a modest amount of volunteer time commitment (but not a high amount) was associated with lower risk of hypertension.