The Interplay of Race, Ethnicity, and Language in Caregiver Health: Insights from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

Background: Recent socio-demographic shifts in the United States have underscored the growing importance of informal caregiving and raised concerns about caregivers' health and well-being. This study aims to deepen our understanding of the health dimensions of caregivers, considering their diverse backgrounds.

Objective: To examine five key health dimensions (physical, cognitive, mental, social, and sexual health) of caregivers, and to identify potential disparities based on ethnoracial and linguistic differences.

Race/ethnicity and the measurement of cognition in NSHAP: Recommendations for robustness.

Objectives: In this study, we examine the measurement of cognition in different racial/ethnic groups to move towards a less biased and more inclusive set of measures for capturing cognitive change and decline in older adulthood.

Methods: We use data from Round 2 (N=3377) and Round 3 (N=4777) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) and examine the study's Survey Adjusted version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-SA). We employ exploratory factor analyses to explore configural invariance by racial/ethnic group.

Assessing how Age, Sex, Race, and Education Affect the Relationships Between Cognitive Domains and Odor Identification.

Background: The associations between cognitive domains and odor identification are well established, but how sociodemographic variables affect these relationships is less clear.

Purpose: Using the survey-adapted Montreal Cognitive Assessment instrument (MoCA-SA), we assess how age, sex, race, and education shape these relationships.

Methods: We first used cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling to empirically derive distinct cognitive domains from the MoCA-SA as it is unclear whether the MoCA-SA can be disaggregated into cognitive domains.

Relationship Quality Change Among Partnered Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic dramatically changed social life, but we know less about whether partnered relationships changed during this time. Because high-quality intimate relationships are key to many older Americans' well-being, we explore whether, how, and for whom the pandemic changed relationship quality among partnered older Americans.

Methods: Nationally representative data from 1,642 partnered adults aged 50 and older come from the 2020 National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project COVID-19 Study.

Delayed medical care and its perceived health impact among US older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Medical care delivery has been substantially disrupted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, leading to delays in medical care, particularly among older adults. Less is known about how these delays have affected different segments of this population. Understanding the negative health consequences older adults face from delayed care will provide critical insights into the longer-term population health needs following the pandemic.

Detecting Risk of Neglect in NSHAP Round 3 Using New Follow-Up Questions to Activities of Daily Living Measures.

Objectives: Elder neglect is a type of elder abuse wherein an older adult's basic needs remain unmet through negligence. The risk of neglect and its harmful consequences coincides with the need for care that arises with difficulties completing activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). In this paper, we describe how new questions included in Round 3 (2015-2016) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP-R3) can help detect the risk of elder neglect.

Sensory Dysfunction and Sexuality in the U.S. Population of Older Adults.

Background: The sexual experience is shaped by sensory function; with aging, sensory dysfunction may interfere with sexuality and sexual behavior between partners. Specifically, older adults with age-related sensory dysfunction may have less sexual activity than those with better sensory function. In addition, since sexual desire and attraction rests in part upon sensory function, sensory dysfunction may also be associated with less sexual motivation.