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Objectives Prepandemic research suggests assistance networks for older adults grow over time and are larger for those living with dementia. We examined how assistance networks of older adults changed in response to the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and whether these changes differed for those with and without dementia. Methods We used 3 rounds of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. We estimated multinomial logistic regression models to test whether changes in assistance networks during COVID-19 (2019–2020)―defined as expansion, contraction, and adaptation―differed from changes prior to COVID-19 (2018–2019). We also estimated ordinary least squares regression models to test differences in the numbers of helpers assisting with one (specialist) versus multiple (generalist) domains before and during COVID-19. For both sets of outcomes, we investigated whether pandemic-related changes differed for those with and without dementia. Results Over all activity domains, a greater proportion of assistance networks adapted during COVID-19 compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (relative risk ratio = 1.19, p <.05). Contractions in networks occurred for those without dementia. Transportation assistance contracted for those with and without dementia, and mobility/self-care assistance contracted for those with dementia. The average number of generalist helpers decreased during COVID-19 (β = −0.09, p <.001). Discussion Early in the pandemic, assistance networks of older adults adapted by substituting helpers, by contracting to reduce exposures with more intimate tasks for recipients with dementia, and by reducing transportation assistance. Future research should explore the impact of such changes on the well-being of older adults and their assistance networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To understand changes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in weekly contact with nonresident family and friends for U.S. adults aged 70 and older in residential care and community settings. Methods Participants in the National Health and Aging Trends Study COVID-19 mail supplement (N = 3,098) reported frequency of phone, electronic, video, and in-person contact with nonresident family and friends in a typical week before and during the pandemic. We examined less than weekly contact by mode for those in residential care settings and community residents with and without limitations. We estimated multinomial logit models to examine predictors of change to less than weekly contact (vs. maintaining weekly or more contact) by mode, overall, and stratified by setting. Results Weekly in-person contact fell substantially (from 61% to 39%) and more so in residential care (from 56% to 22%), where nearly 4 in 10 transitioned to less than weekly in-person contact (doubling to 8 out of 10). Weekly or more contact was largely stable for electronic and telephone modes across settings. Weekly or more video contact increased mainly for community residents without limitations. Compared to community residents without limitations, those in assisted living or nursing homes had more than 5 times the odds (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.3; p =.01) of changing to less than weekly in-person contact; those in independent living also had higher odds of changing to less than weekly in-person (AOR = 2.6; p =.01) and video (AOR = 3.4; p =.01) contact. Discussion The pandemic revealed the importance of ensuring that communication technologies to maintain social ties are available to and usable by older adults, particularly for those living in residential care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue, including the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), the care of people with dementia, and the trajectories of paid and family care hours of people living with dementia.

Objective Despite cross-sectional evidence that persons living with dementia receive disproportionate hours of care, studies of how care intensity progresses over time and differs for those living with and without dementia have been lacking. Method We used the 2011–2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study to estimate growth mixture models to identify incident care hour trajectories ("classes") among older adults (N = 1,780). Results We identified 4 incident care hour classes: "Low, stable," "High, increasing," "24/7 then high, stable," and "Low then resolved." The high-intensity classes had the highest proportions of care recipients with dementia and accounted for nearly half of that group. Older adults with dementia were 3–4 times as likely as other older adults to experience one of the 2 high-intensity trajectories. A substantial proportion of the 4 in 10 older adults with dementia who were predicted to be in the "Low, stable" class lived in residential care settings. Discussion Information on how family caregiving is likely to evolve over time in terms of care hours may help older adults with and without dementia, the family members, friends, and paid individuals who care for them, as well as their health care providers assess and plan for future care needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Increased likelihood of having step children among more recent cohorts of older adults, alongside lower levels of assistance from step children, has led to concerns about greater unmet needs for older parents in step families. However, few studies have directly examined family structure and unmet needs. We examined the associations between having step children (vs. only biological children) and receiving care from adult children, and unmet needs for assistance. Methods Using the 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study, we investigated among older parents with care needs whether levels of care received from adult children and unmet needs differed between those with biological versus step families. We also explored whether a partner or paid care compensated for observed differences. Results Older parents in need of care were more than twice as likely to receive care from their adult children if they had biological instead of step families. Unmet needs among older parents did not differ by family structure, nor did levels of partner or paid care. Discussion Results illustrate that concerns about the implications of the rising prevalence of step families for care parents receive from their children may be warranted. However, there is a lack of evidence of greater unmet need for care for older parents in step families, as risks of unmet needs are high for older parents regardless of family type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We provide national estimates of caregiving networks for older adults with and without dementia and examine how these networks develop over time. Most prior research has focused on primary caregivers and rarely on change over time. Method We identify a cohort of older adults continuously followed in the National Health and Aging Trends Study between 2011 and 2015 and receiving help from family members or unpaid caregivers in 2015 (n = 1,288). We examine differences by dementia status in network size, types of assistance and task sharing, and composition—differentiating between "specialist" and "generalist" caregivers helping in one versus multiple activity domains. Multinomial regression is used to estimate change over time in network task sharing and composition. Results In 2015, older adults with dementia had larger caregiving networks involving more task sharing than those without dementia and more often relied on generalist caregivers, especially the subset assisting with medical, household, and mobility or self-care activities. Uniformly greater reliance over time on these more intensely engaged generalist caregivers chiefly accounts for larger dementia networks. Discussion Findings lend support to the need for caregiver training on managing multiple task domains and—for dementia caregivers in particular—task-sharing skills. More generally, the design of new approaches to better support older adults and their caregivers should consider the complexity, heterogeneity, and change over time in caregiving networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Studies have reported decreasing dementia prevalence in recent decades in the United States. We explore with a new national data source whether declines have occurred since 2011, whether trends are attributable to shifts in dementia incidence or mortality, and whether trends are related to shifts in population composition or subgroup prevalence. Methods We use the 2011–2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 27,547) to examine prevalence of probable dementia among the 70 and older population. To minimize the influence of potential learning effects on prevalence rates, we require individuals to meet probable dementia criteria at two consecutive rounds. Results: Prevalence of probable dementia declines over this period by 1.4% to 2.6% per year. Declines are concentrated among women, non-Hispanic white and black groups, and those with no vascular conditions or risk factors. The latter group also has experienced declines in dementia incidence. Declines in prevalence are largely attributable to age- and education-related shifts in population composition. Discussion Given the role of age and educational composition in short-term declines, the United States is likely to continue to experience short-term declines in dementia prevalence. However, persistently high rates among minority groups, especially of Hispanic origin, are concerning, and, barring new treatments, long-run trends may reverse course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at several studies that aim to broaden the evidence base for understanding dementia trends. Topics covered include caseload and prevalence projections that are crucial to planning appropriate public and private sector responses, estimates of life expectancy and aggregate changes in life expectancy with dementia at ages 65 and 85, and short-term trends in the prevalence and one-year incidence of dementia among the 70 and older population.

Objectives: To provide a profile of older adults who successfully accommodate declines in capacity by using assistive devices. Method: Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we provide national estimates of prevalent, incident, and persistent successful accommodation of mobility and self-care activity limitations. For incident and persistent accommodation groups, we describe their subjective wellbeing and participation restrictions, health and functioning, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and acquisition of assistive devices and environmental features. We estimate regression models predicting incident and persistent successful accommodation and the extent of wellbeing and participation restrictions for incident and persistent groups (vs. those who are fully able). Results: Nearly one-quarter of older adults have put in place accommodations that allow them to carry out daily activities with no assistance or difficulty. In adjusted models, incident and persistent successful accommodation is more common for those ages 80-89, those with more children, and those living in homes with environmental features already installed; well-being levels for these groups are similar and participation restrictions only slightly below those who are fully able. Discussion: A focus on facilitating successful accommodation among those who experience declines in capacity may be an effective means of promoting participation and wellbeing in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We evaluate (a) associations between marital quality (emotional support, strain, and overall appraisal) and three negative aspects of experienced well-being (frustration, sadness, and worry) among older husbands and wives and (b) the relative importance of own versus spouse's marital quality assessments for understanding experienced well-being in later life. Method. Data are from the 2009 Disability and Use of Time daily diary supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 722). We estimate actor-partner interdependence models, using seemingly unrelated regression. Results. Own reports of marital strain are associated with own frustration, sadness, and worry among wives and are associated with frustration only among husbands. Own reports of marital support are associated with negative emotion among husbands only: higher levels of marital support are associated with less worry. Results from partner effects analyses also are mixed. Husbands' reports of marital strain are associated with wives' elevated frustration levels, whereas wives' reports of greater marital support are associated with their husbands' higher frustration levels. Discussion. One's own and spouse's marital appraisals play a complex role in shaping negative emotions among older adults. Findings suggest that frustration is a particularly complex emotion and a promising area for further study among older married couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Studies of late-life disablement typically address the role of advancing age as a factor in developing disability, and in some cases have pointed out the importance of time to death (TTD) in understanding changes in functioning. However, few studies have addressed both factors simultaneously, and none have dealt satisfactorily with the problem of missing data on TTD in panel studies. Methods. We fit latent-class trajectory models of disablement using data from the Health and Retirement Study. Among survivors (~20% of the sample), TTD is unknown, producing a missingdata problem. We use an auxiliary regression equation to impute TTD and employ multiple imputation techniques to obtain final parameter estimates and standard errors. Results. Our best-fitting model has 3 latent classes. In all 3 classes, the probability of having a disability increases with nearness to death; however, in only 2 of the 3 classes is age associated with disability. We find gender, race, and educational differences in class-membership probabilities. Discussion. The model reveals a complex pattern of age- and time-dependent heterogeneity in late-life disablement. The techniques developed here could be applied to other phenomena known to depend on TTD, such as cognitive change, weight loss, and health care spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We explore whether spousal caregiving is associated with enhanced well-being for older husbands and wives. Method. We use time diary data from the 2009 Panel Study of Income Dynamics and Disability and Use of Time supplement. We measure experienced well-being as ratings of happiness and frustration during activities recalled for the previous day. We estimate separately for husbands and wives 3 distinct effects on experienced well-being: having a spouse with a disability; doing household or personal care tasks (“chores”) for someone other than a spouse with a disability; and doing such tasks for a spouse with a disability (“care”). Results. For husbands, neither care status nor spouse’s disability status are associated with experienced well-being. In contrast, for wives, carrying out chores is associated with lower reports of happiness compared with other activities and providing care to one’s husband is associated with greater reports of happiness than carrying out chores. Discussion. For women, chores such as meal preparation, laundry, and cleaning—but not caregiving per se—are associated with worse experienced well-being than other activities. Findings underscore that there are positive aspects of spousal caregiving for older wives that offset the innately unpleasant nature of household tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate whether the health and functioning of the Baby Boom generation are better or worse than those of previous cohorts in middle age. Methods Trend analysis of vital statistics and self-reports from the National Health Interview Survey for the 40–59 population. Specific outcomes (years of data): mortality (1982–2004); poor or fair health (1982–2006); nine conditions (1997–2006); physical functional limitations (1997–2006); and needing help with personal care, routine needs, or either (1997–2006). Results In 2005, the mortality rate of 59-year-olds, the leading edge of the Baby Boom, was 31% lower than that of 59-year-olds in 1982 (8.3 vs. 12.1 per 1,000). There was a similar proportional decline in poor/fair health, but the decline reversed in the last decade. From 1997 to 2006, the prevalence of reports of four conditions increased significantly, but this trend may reflect improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Functional limitations and need for help with routine needs were stable, but the need for help with personal care, while quite low, increased. Discussion Trends varied by indicator, period, and age. It is surprising that, given the socioeconomic, medical, and public health advantages of Baby Boomers throughout their lives, they are not doing considerably better on all counts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives. Although racial and ethnic disparities in disability are well established and technology is increasingly used to bridge gaps between functional deficits and environmental demands, little research has focused on racial and ethnic disparities in device use. This study investigated whether use of mobility devices differs by race and ethnicity and explored several reasons for this difference. Methods. The sample included community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older from the 2002 and 2004 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. We used predisposing, need, and enabling factors to predict mobility device use alone and combined with personal care. Results. Blacks had the highest rates of using mobility devices, followed by Hispanics and then Whites. Need and enabling factors explained differences between Blacks and Whites in wheelchair use but not cane use or use of devices without personal care. Other predisposing factors explained most differences between Hispanics and Whites. Discussion. Because minorities appear to be using mobility devices in proportion to underlying need, increasing device use by minorities may not reduce disparities in mobility disability. Efforts to address racial/ethnic disparities in mobility disability in late life, therefore, may need to focus on differences in underlying functional decline rather than the accommodation of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We addressed three questions: Have recent improvements in old-age disability been mirrored in changes in self-reported general health status? Are general health status trends similar for younger and older Americans? Have changes in general health status been uniform across demographic and socioeconomic groups? Methods. Using logistic regression, we analyzed data from the 1982-2003 National Health Interview Surveys (n = 1,445,872 aged 18-69; n = 178,384 aged 70 and older). Results. The proportion of people aged 70 and older reporting disability declined at 1.38% per year and the proportion 70 and older reporting poor/fair health declined at 1.85% per year. There was less of a decline in reports of poor/fair health at younger ages. Trends for the 18-69 population showed widening health disparities by income but narrowing of the race/ethnicity and education gaps. In the older population, there was no change for those aged 80-84 and 85 and older, the race/ethnicity gap persisted, and both education and income differentials widened over time. Discussion. Declines in proportions reporting poor/fair health among the older population in recent decades mirror declines in disability. Although the younger population has not experienced such progress, its prevalence of poor/fair health is low throughout the 21-year analysis period. Of concern are the growing socioeconomic disparities in health for both younger and older populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Assistive technology (AT) may improve quality of life and reduce dependence for older persons with disabilities. In this article, we examine tradeoffs between the use of AT and reliance on personal care, with attention to factors that may influence those relationships. Methods. We jointly modeled hours of formal and informal care with use of AT in order to address the interdependence of these outcomes in ways not taken into account in previous studies. We analyzed a national sample of older persons with difficulty in activities of daily living drawn from Phase 2 of the 1994–1995 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Disability Supplement. Results. Our findings show that the use of AT was associated with reductions in informal care hours, especially for those who were unmarried, better educated, or had better cognitive abilities, but appeared to supplement formal care services for these groups. Individuals with cognitive impairment were less likely than others to substitute AT with either type of personal care. Discussion. These models raise the possibility that reductions of informal care hours may be accomplished with a combination of formal care and assistive devices, rather than from either alternative alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. We describe how paid and unpaid home care hours received by older unmarried Americans change in response to disability dynamics. We test whether responses to disability declines and improvements are symmetric; that is, we test whether reductions in care hours that are due to disability improvements are of similar magnitude to increases in care hours that are due to disability declines. Methods. Using a national sample of older unmarried Americans, we examine changes in total hours, paid hours, and unpaid hours of care in response to declines and improvements in personal care (activities of daily living, or ADLs) and routine care (instrumental ADLs, or IADLs) disability. We model changes in the total hours of care received in the past month and jointly model changes in unpaid and paid hours, using Tobit models. Results. Changes in the total hours of care received respond to both increases and decreases in the count of ADL limitations and appear close to symmetric. In contrast, responses to IADL disability dynamics appear to be far less symmetric: Although increases in the count of IADL limitations are met with substantial increases in the total hours of care, decreases are not met with correspondingly large declines in care. The same general pattern is found for unpaid and paid care, and for Medicaid-funded home care. Discussion. Disability and care are not static constructs in old age. Older unmarried persons experience worsening, stabilizing, and recovery of function, and their care hours change accordingly. Evaluations of home care programs must be cognizant of such dynamic realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the aggregate changes in severe cognitive impairment. Investigation of the cumulative effects of survey design issues; Measurement of impairment using a modified version of the Telephone Interview Cognitive Screen; Incorporation of design effects into statistical tests.

Discusses results of a study estimating trends in disability prevalence in a sample of participants aged 70 and older from 1982-1996 in the United States. Decline in the prevalence of disability; Absence of improvements in personal care disability; Sociodemographic factors influencing disability trends; Study limitations.

Investigates whether improvements in cognitive functioning occurred during the 1990s among older Americans and explores explanations for such changes. Finding that the percentage of aged Americans with severe cognitive impairment declined from 1993 to 1998; Indication that older persons appear to have better cognitive functioning in 2000 than they did in the early 1990s.

Explores the implications of using questions about difficulty with daily activities that do not specify whether to consider assistance on analytic ability of older individuals. Percent discordance among respondents; Measures of discordance and disability; Predictors of discordance; Discordance between underlying and ambiguous difficulty.

Examines the relationship between family structure and the risk of first nursing home admission. Measures of family structure and health; Characteristics of persons at risk for first nursing home admission; Probability of first nursing home admission by family structure and age.

A correction to the article "Change OverTime in Caregiving Networks for Older Adults With and Without Dementia," by Brenda C. Spillman, Vicki A. Freedman, Judith D. Kasper, and Jennifer L. Wolff, which was published in a 2019 issue of the journal is presented.

The authors comment on the connection between remaining lifetime and the trajectory of late-life disability. Few critics have argued that using time to death (TTD) as a predictor of disability confuses the direction of causality. They said the author's our approach to imputation of TTD among censored observations is not valid because TTD is not missing at random (MAR).

Discusses various aspects concerning the cognitive ability in the aged using data from the Health and Retirement Study. Inconsistencies of data; Challenges in measuring cognitive functioning; Social conditions of aged with cognitive impairments.

Objectives. Older adults with care needs live in a variety of settings—from traditional community housing to nursing homes. This analysis provides new estimates of the size and characteristics of the older population across settings and examines unmet needs for assistance. Method. Data are from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 8,077). Multinomial logistic regressions focus on people in settings other than nursing homes who are at risk for unmet needs, defined as receiving help or having difficulty with household, self-care, or mobility activities (N = 4,023). Results. Of 38.1 million Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older, 5.5 million (15%) live in settings other than traditional housing: 2.5 million in retirement or senior housing communities, nearly 1 million in independent- and 1 million in assisted-living settings, and 1.1 million in nursing homes. The prevalence of assistance is higher and physical and cognitive capacity lower in each successive setting. Unmet needs are common in traditional community housing (31%), but most prevalent in retirement or senior housing (37%) and assisted living settings (42%). After controlling for differences in resident characteristics across settings, those in retirement or senior housing communities have a higher likelihood of unmet needs than those in traditional community housing, while those in independent or assisted living settings have a lower relative likelihood. Discussion. Substantial numbers of older adults, many with care needs, live in a continuum of settings other than traditional community housing. Unmet needs are prevalent among older adults with limitations across all settings and warrant further investigation and monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including national health, aging, and post-stroke disability management.

Objective. To explore use of assistive devices and personal assistance and unmet need for assistance among older stroke survivors and identify potentially modifiable factors to optimize self-care and mobility activities in this population. Method. Using the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study, we compared demographic characteristics, accommodation-enabling factors and need-related factors for self-reported stroke survivors (N = 892) and stroke-free controls (N = 6,709). For individual self-care and mobility activities, we examined type of accommodation (no devices/no help, devices/no help, devices/help, help/no devices) and unmet need by stroke status. For the sample of stroke survivors, we then estimated (a) multinomial logistic regression models predicting type of accommodation and (b) logistic regression models predicting unmet need. Results. Stroke survivors used more assistive devices and received more personal assistance and had greater unmet need than stroke-free controls. In adjusted models, physical and cognitive capacity measures were most important in predicting accommodations and accommodations most important in predicting unmet need. Discussion. Although accommodations are commonly used by older adult stroke survivors, unmet need is also substantial. Future research should focus on finding ways to improve poststroke functional capacity and cognitive capacity and enhance adoption of assistive devices with the aim of reducing unmet need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]