GEROTRANSCENDENCE OF ALASKA NATIVE ELDERS AGING SUCCESSFULLY IN THE ALEUTIAN AND PRIBILOF ISLANDS

Abstract Meeting the healthcare needs of Alaska Native (AN) Elders in remote communities is critical to support successful aging and this study allows AN Elders from the Aleutian region to share their experiences and define successful aging, supporting the limited research on AN successful aging. This study interviewed 19 Elders in two communities from the Aleutian region of Alaska. Using a 20-item questionnaire based on Kleinman’s explanatory model to explore successful aging and experiences of being an Elder. Thematic analysis was employed to identify the characteristics and activities of Elders coping and adapting to aging-related changes. This study identified 5 core elements of successful aging, 4 of which formed Lewis’s AN model of successful aging (2011): Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Spirituality, Purposefulness, and Physical Health and Mobility, and the new element of Gerotranscendence. The unique finding of this study that expands Lewis’s model is the change in mindset Elders experience as they self-reflect. Elders describe being more intentional in their relationships and a stronger connection to traditional cultural and spiritual activities, described by Tornstam (2005) as gerotranscendence. This research will be used locally to develop community specific health promotion and prevention programs to improve Elder services. These findings can also be used by health care providers to help Elders find meaningful activities that promote health and teach individuals to cope with aging-related changes.

The Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-Imagery (SHARP) study aims to preserve African American cognitive health through neighborhood walking and social engagement in a way that celebrates Black culture. For 6 months, African Americans aged 55+ (2016 n=19; 2017 n=21) grouped in triads walked 1-mile routes accessible via the SHARP application. Routes included historical image prompts about Portland, Oregon's historically Black neighborhoods. Participant focus groups at months 1, 3, and 6 drove program development and refinements, and provided valuable insight into the program's meaning for participants. Discussions were thematically coded. Emergent themes included "suggested improvements," "technology," "mental health impact," "cultural incongruence," and "cultural significance." Participants suggested improvements to the application's navigational aspects and expressed willingness to engage technology despite initial apprehension. The triadic structure and place-based memory prompts aided reminiscence, allowing participants to make meaningful links between their own life experiences and their walking partners'. Neighborhood walking brought to the surface participant concerns about a lack of understanding between African American generations, and between long-time residents and whiter, wealthier demographics moving in. Some participants found it emotionally taxing to walk in the now gentrified historically Black neighborhoods, but still saw the program overall as useful, interesting, and necessary--to their physical and cognitive health, to their mental health as they processed neighborhood changes and community loss, and as an important contribution to preserving community history. Addressing individual health alongside pressing issues affecting older African Americans' sense of well-being and community may make cognitive health programs more meaningful and applicable. Meeting the healthcare needs of Alaska Native (AN) Elders in remote communities is critical to support successful aging and this study allows AN Elders from the Aleutian region to share their experiences and define successful aging, supporting the limited research on AN successful aging. This study interviewed 19 Elders in two communities from the Aleutian region of Alaska. Using a 20-item questionnaire based on Kleinman's explanatory model to explore successful aging and experiences of being an Elder. Thematic analysis was employed to identify the characteristics and activities of Elders coping and adapting to aging-related changes. This study identified 5 core elements of successful aging, 4 of which formed Lewis's AN model of successful aging (2011): Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Spirituality, Purposefulness, and Physical Health and Mobility, and the new element of Gerotranscendence. The unique finding of this study that expands Lewis's model is the change in mindset Elders experience as they self-reflect. Elders describe being more intentional in their relationships and a stronger connection to traditional cultural and spiritual activities, described by Tornstam (2005) as gerotranscendence. This research will be used locally to develop community specific health promotion and prevention programs to improve Elder services. These findings can also be used by health care providers to help Elders find meaningful activities that promote health and teach individuals to cope with aging-related changes.

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ADVANCE CARE PLANNING IN ACCULTURATION AND USE OF NURSING HOME AMONG KOREAN AMERICANS Soyeon Cho 1 , 1. City University of New York-New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, New York, United States
The study examined attitudes towards Advance Care Planning (ACP) as a potential mediator in the association between acculturation and willingness to use nursing home in Korean American older adults (aged 60 and older). Data were driven from a cross-sectional study of 235 communitydwelling Korean American older adults (aged 60 and older) in 2013. Multivariate regression models of willingness to use nursing home were entered in the following order: (1) demographics, (2) health, (3) acculturation, and (4) attitudes towards advance care planning. The mediation effect of attitudes towards ACP in the relationship between acculturation and willingness to use nursing home was separately examined using the bootstrapping method. Higher acculturation was associated with positive attitudes towards ACP and more likelihood of using nursing home. The proposed mediation model was fully supported: positive attitudes towards ACP served as an intervening step between acculturation and willingness to use nursing home. The mediating role of attitudes towards ACP yields implications for developing culturally sensitive advance care planning education program targeting older individuals.

ROLE OF RELIGIOUSNESS AND SPIRITUALITY AND SOCIAL NETWORKS IN DETERMINING DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER KOREAN AMERICANS
Soonhee Roh, 1 Yeon-Shim Lee, 2 and So-Young Park 3 , 1. University of South Dakota,Sioux Falls,South Dakota,United States,2. San Francisco State University,San Francisco,California,United States,3. New York University,New York,New York,United States Korean Americans (KAs) are one of the fastest growing minority populations in the U.S. Depression is the most common psychological problem among older KAs. While the relationship between religiousness/spirituality (R/S) and well-being in later life is an important health concern, older KAs are often affiliated with a protestant church and have the highest church participation. This study assessed the role of R/S and social networks in determining depressive symptoms and identified the best predictors of depressive symptoms.
Data were drawn from a cross-sectional survey with 200 older KAs residing in New York. Best-subsets regressions were used to evaluate the best predictors of depression. Findings indicated that nearly 30% of older KAs reported experiencing mild or severe depressive symptoms. The best model fit for depression involved physical health, R/S coping skills, social networks, and annual household income. Social networks and R/S coping skills were found to be a protective factor against depressive symptoms and may be an effective tool for health care strategies in the management of depression and health-promoting behaviors. Careful assessment of R/S and social networks among older KAs may provide a more comprehensive approach to traditional, biomedically derived clinical practices by focusing on the whole person in early identification of risk factors, prognosis, and intervention for depression. Health education and intervention could be framed in ways that strengthen such psychosocial coping resources for older KAs. Facilitating social participation and mobilizing R/S resources in a wide range of personally meaningful activities may mitigate psychological distress and enhance life satisfaction.

FEELING AUTHENTIC DURING PLAYING PICKLEBALL IN LATER LIFE: PREDICTING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING
Jungsu Ryu, 1 Jinmoo Heo, 2 Chungsup Lee, 3 Amy Chan Hyung Kim, 4 Kyung Min Kim, 5 and Hyunmin Yang 6 , 1. Marshall University, Huntington,West Virginia,United States,2. Yonsei University,Seoul,Korea,Republic of,3. California State University,Long Beach,Long Beach,California,United States,4. Florida State University,Tallahassee,Florida,United States,5. University of Miami,Coral Gables,Florida,United States,6. Texas A&M University,College Station,Texas,United States Authenticity, being trustful with oneself, is regarded as a principle predictor of healthy functioning. However, the association between authenticity and psychological functioning has not been examined, even though leisure is an ideal context within which to experience authenticity. Therefore, this study examined the association between authenticity and psychological functioning in older adults playing pickleball. A convenience sample of 112 males and 96 females (64.11±6.56, 50 to 82yrs) was recruited from the 2017 U.S. Open Pickleball Championship which is an annual international pickleball tournament. The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire primarily asking about their levels of authenticity (4-items) and psychological functioning measured by both perceived stress (4-items) and happiness (single item). The pearson correlation tests found higher levels of authenticity were significantly correlated with being less stressed (r = -.373, p < .01) and happier (r = .203, p < .01). A two-step hierarchical regression was used to determine the unique contribution of authenticity to either perceived stress or happiness, and found that authenticity uniquely contributed to 10% of the variance in perceived stress (F= 4.678, p <.001) and 2.3% of the variance in happiness (F= 3.046, p <.01). These results suggest that