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Symposium

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Centering Diverse Aging Adults: Strength, Resilience, and Opportunities

Thursday, November 14, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
Location: Room 2A
CE: 1.5

Our older adult population is increasingly becoming more diverse and there is a need to identify sources of risk and resilience among individuals living at the intersection of multiple systems of oppression or adversity. This symposium highlights the lived experiences of older diverse adults through a multi-dimensional lens by investigating the experiences of adults across community settings, exposure to trauma, identity (gender and race), and health status. Presentations also investigate already-existing strengths within these communities and recommend opportunities for leveraging those assets to bolster health equity in diverse older adults. To this end, Tian and colleagues will present results on coping strategy utilization and stress among urban-dwelling diverse adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cherry and colleagues will showcase an investigation of the experiences of African American / Black women living in Louisiana who endured the 2005 hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Wright and colleagues will share findings on the association between parental education, adverse childhood experiences, and memory performance among diverse, community-dwelling older adults. Groves and colleagues will present findings on the feasibility of a dyadic intervention to support hypertension self-management among older African American women with hypertension. Lastly, Gaillard and colleagues identify strategies for increasing engagement in health research among older African Americans. Overall, this symposium centers the lived experiences, strengths, and resilience of diverse older adults, and points to novel directions for advancing health equity research.

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending this session, participants will be able to summarize the impact of major social events and environmental disasters on urban-dwelling and African American / Black adults.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to identify strengths within diverse older adult communities that can be leveraged to address health inequities.
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to explain intervention features that may optimize outcomes, and pinpoint deciding factors for participating in health research among African American / Black older adults.

Presentations:

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    The Impact of COVID-19 on Avoidant Coping Strategies and Perceived Stress: Insights From the HANDLS Sleep Study

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Junyan Tian, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Michigan

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Hurricane Katrina and Covid-19: Lasting Impacts on New Orleans' African American Women

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Katie E. Cherry, PhD (she/her/hers) – Louisiana State University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    The Role of Parental Education and Adverse Childhood Experiences in Cognitive Function Among Diverse Older Adults

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Regina Wright, PhD, FGSA (she/her/hers) – University of Delaware

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Peer (Dyadic) Support: Experiences and Perspectives From Older African American Women With Hypertension

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Angela Groves, PhD, RN-BC, CNE (she/her/hers) – Western Michigan University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    An Asset-Based Approach to Increase Engagement of Older African Americans in Health Research

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Trudy Gaillard, RN, PhD, CDCES, FAAN, FAHA (she/her/hers) – Florida International University