Research on Aging current issue

The Social Foundation of Religious Meaning in Life

Krause, N. — 2008-06-05

The purpose of this study was to see whether informal social support from fellow church members sustains an older person's sense of religious meaning in life over time. Two types of church-based social support were evaluated: spiritual support and emotional support. Data from a nationwide longitudinal survey of older adults suggested that both emotional and spiritual support tend to sustain a sense of religious meaning in life, but of the two, spiritual support appeared to exert the greatest effect. The findings further revealed that older African Americans are more likely than older European Americans to derive a sense of meaning in life through religion. This race difference is largely explained by the fact that older African Americans tend to receive more church-based social support than older European Americans.

Planning for End-of-Life Care: Black-White Differences in the Completion of Advance Directives

Gerst, K., Burr, J. A. — 2008-06-05

The authors examined Black-White differences in the likelihood of completing written advance directives for end-of-life health care and engaging in informal verbal communication about advanced wishes. Data from the 1998 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were combined with data from the 2000 HRS exit interview to analyze Black and White participants' completion rates. Whites were more likely than Blacks to grant durable power of attorney for health care, to complete a written will, and to informally communicate their wishes; group differences remained after controlling for personal characteristics. Also, Blacks were less likely than Whites to engage in more than one form of end-of-life planning. The authors speculate that sociocultural differences in trust in the medical system and knowledge about advance directives may partially account for these findings. The findings may aid policy makers and practitioners in increasing the level of participation in advance directives.

Assessing Experts' Views of the Future of Long-Term Care

Miller, E. A., Booth, M., Mor, V. — 2008-06-05

Consensus is growing that long-term care delivery, regulation, and financing are no longer viable, a concern that will grow more salient as the population ages. To better understand these prevailing challenges, the authors interviewed experts regarding the current state of long-term care in the United States, the attributes of an ideal long-term care system, and potential areas for reform. The findings highlight the problem of maintaining an adequate workforce despite changing demographics. They also identify commonly agreed upon attributes of an ideal system—person centered, professionally rewarding, integrated, affordable, accountable, community based, and consumer directed—in addition to less commonly identified attributes—supportive, comprehensive, dignified, culturally appropriate, innovative, responsible, and safe and secure. Areas for reform include workforce recruitment and retention, financing and insurance, quality improvement and regulation, health information technology, and organizational change and innovation. The challenges facing long-term care must be addressed by both government and private citizens alike if long-term care recipients' lives are to improve and the increased demand for services is to be met.

Using Union Status or Marital Status to Study the Living Arrangements of Elderly People

De Vos, S., Schwartzman, L. F. — 2008-06-05

The authors reflect on the use of marital status to study the living arrangements of elderly people (aged 60 years and older) in a comparative perspective. Traditionally, relevant studies have differentiated by marital status and assumed that married people lived together and that unmarried people did not live with partners. However, marital status is a social construct, whereas union status is the residential one, and although marriage is universal, it is different in different places and at different times. Using fairly recent census data from nine countries around the world, the authors examined how well marital status helps indicate union status. They found reason to believe that marital status has been a good indicator of union status in some places at certain times but that it is not always so.

Depressive Symptoms in Four Racial and Ethnic Groups: The Survey of Older Floridians (SOF)

Yuri Jang, , Chiriboga, D. A., Kim, G., Phillips, K. — 2008-06-05

Responding to the need for research on the mental health of minority elders, the present study explored determinants of depressive symptoms using a statewide sample of African Americans, Cubans, non-Cuban Hispanics, and Whites from the Survey of Older Floridians. The investigators focused on direct and interactive effects of demographic variables and stressful life conditions (chronic health conditions, functional disability, and negative life events) on depressive symptoms. A hierarchical regression model showed that lower income, more chronic health conditions, greater disability, and more life events were common risk factors for depressive symptoms across all groups. The impacts of age and education were found to be group specific. Significant interactions were also obtained among predictor variables in each group, identifying risk-reducing and risk-enhancing factors within each group. The findings on race-specific risk factors and within-group variability should be taken into consideration when developing and implementing services for diverse older populations.