Heather L. Menne

Background: Social isolation and loneliness in later life are major public health concerns associated with increased morbidity and premature mortality. Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) constitute the primary local infrastructure for aging services in the US. Objective: To describe social engagement program types and partnership structures among AAAs and to examine rural–non-rural differences. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2025 National Survey of AAAs (n = 449). Descriptive statistics summarized program and partnership prevalence; item-level Pearson chi-square tests with Bonferroni adjustments compared rural and non-rural agencies. Results: Most AAAs offered multiple social engagement programs; volunteer engagement (66.0%), arts and creative activities (62.2%), visiting/calling programs (57.7%), and technology engagement (55.5%) were common. Non-rural AAAs were more likely to offer visiting/calling, technology-based activities, and memory cafes, while rural AAAs were more likely to partner with public health units. Rural–non-rural differences suggest context-specific influences of resources and infrastructure on program availability.

This study explores the differences in emotional well-being associated with: attending caregiver support services and the perceived need for caregiver support services. Emotional well-being was about higher among those who attended support groups compared to those who have not, and emotional well-being was higher among those who do not have a perceived need for counselling services compared to those who have a perceived need for counselling. The findings reinforce that program leaders should place emphasis on caregivers with a perceived need for services as their emotional state may already be compromised.

Cognitive decline and dementia account for the highest number of cognitive disabilities, functional limitations, chronic healthcare conditions, and long-term care needs among older adults aged 65 and older in the US. The optimization of public health policies and advances made from gerontological research have resulted in a steady increase in the number of older adults 65 and above, which makes the risk of cognitive decline and dementia higher. The use of interventions like adult day services (ADS) may delay placement into long-term care homes among older adults living with dementia and other cognitive impairment-related disabilities. The purpose of this scoping review study was to address the research question: What impact do adult day services have on long-term care home placement for people living with dementia? Electronic searches were performed using six databases for sources published between 1998 and May 2024. A total of 150 citations were found. After screening titles and abstracts, full-text reviews were completed for eight articles. Of these eight articles, only two articles addressed the research question directly and reported increased risk for placement. With very few recent studies on the impact of ADS on long-term care placement, more research is needed to draw firm scientific conclusions on the benefit of ADS, and these future studies should include the perspectives of people living with dementia, family caregivers, and ADS providers.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to describe the pre-implementation process utilized to identify potential substantive barriers and facilitators to implementing the Individualized Positive Psychosocial Interaction (IPPI) across 9 nursing home communities prior to recruitment for an embedded pragmatic clinical trial. Research Design and Methods: We conducted 9 focus groups with n = 65 staff during regularly scheduled interdisciplinary care team meetings. Sessions included a description of the IPPI program and utilized a premortem exercise to solicit feedback on all the reasons why implementation of the IPPI would fail or succeed. To include additional stakeholders, we conducted individual interviews with n = 56 staff, n = 37 residents, n = 17 family members, and n = 1 volunteer. Data were thematically coded for barriers and facilitators informed by the Inner Setting Domain of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research version 2.0. Results: Overall, participants reported the human equality-centered culture, relative priority, and mission alignment of the IPPI with the organizational priorities as major facilitators. Potential barriers to IPPI implementation were related to structural characteristics, specifically staffing concerns around not having enough staff along with communication challenges with residents and finding appropriate space to conduct IPPIs as an available resource. Discussion and Implications: Utilizing the premortem exercise to engage staff, residents, and family was successful for relationship building between researchers and end users. Several substantive barriers and facilitators to IPPI implementation were identified, helping to inform implementation strategies for a future embedded pragmatic clinical trial.

The National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) is collected for programs funded by Title III of the Older Americans Act (OAA; i.e., case management, congregate meals, home-delivered meals, homemaker, transportation, and family caregiver support). This scoping review mapped extant peer-reviewed empirical articles using NSOAAP data. Eight databases were searched and additional citations were identified through online searches and reference list review. The study findings are based on 12 peer-reviewed empirical studies. There is a dearth in overall empirical studies using the NSOAAP, and there is variation in waves analyzed, sub-populations investigated, and how often data for specific programs is studied. This scoping review highlights the need for more research to understand the impact of the OAA service as measured through the NSOAAP across time.

In the United States, long-term care providers, such as nursing homes and assisted living communities, are meeting consumer demand through housing and care options designed to support the growing population of people living with dementia. One approach to providing dementia care is the development of “memory care units” within existing nursing homes and assisted living communities. Memory care units provide a setting more tailored to the cognitive and functional abilities of these individuals. There is emerging evidence about the optimum strategies for memory care environments; however, little is known about the implementation, prevalence, and quality of practice—and environment-based strategies—in memory care units. This article provides insight into the prevalence of memory care unit practices using data from Ohio. The analysis points to policy and practice opportunities to address the quality of life and care for people living with dementia.