THE STRENGTH OF WEAKER TIES: HAVE WE BEEN IGNORING A RESOURCE FOR AGING ADULTS?

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine links between changes in social ties (close ties and weaker ties) and changes in positive and depressed affect across three waves in a large, representative sample of U.S. adults aged 40 and over (N = 802). Using trivariate dual-change score models, we found that a greater number of weaker ties was associated with higher numbers of close ties over time, and that the number of weaker ties was more strongly predictive of positive age-related changes in both aspects of well-being (i.e., less depressed affect and more positive affect) than the number of close ties. Our findings imply that focusing investment on the outer circles may have the unintended benefit of compensating for losses in the inner circle, and that contrary to popular theoretical orientations, weaker ties may offer older adults an avenue for both promoting positive affect and decreasing negative affect.

Goals often involve close others such as spouses, but we know little about how this helps or hinders goal progress and what couple consequences arise. To examine these questions, we investigate associations between joint goals, goal progress, and relationship satisfaction by applying multilevel modeling to data from 119 couples (50% female; Mage=71 years). Participants listed their most important goals and reported if they wanted to achieve these together with their partner (self-rated joint goals). 85% self-reported at least one joint goal. Two raters classified goals as "joint" if both partners mentioned the same goal. Positive illusionsi.e., older adults thinking a goal was joint although it was not reported by the spouse-were frequent. Number of joint goals was related to increased goal progress but only for those with low positive illusions, whereas positive illusions were linked to higher relationship satisfaction. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings. Recent theories suggest that non-sexual physical contact with close others plays a key role in promoting health and well-being in adulthood. However, the impact of non-sexual physical contact in later life, especially the affectionate touch between romantic partners, has been largely unexplored. Using two waves of dyadic data (N=953 couples, Mage=71 years) from National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we examined whether shared affectionate touch between spouses prospectively predicted both partners' relational, mental and physical well-being five years later, independent of sex activity. Dyadic analyses results indicated that frequency of shared affectionate touch with the partner predicted increases in spouses' own relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction and mental health, but not in physical health, over five years. No interpersonal (i.e., partner) effect of shared affectionate touch was found. Findings underscore the unique role of non-sexual physical contact between spouses in promoting relational and mental well-being for older couples.

THE STRENGTH OF WEAKER TIES: HAVE WE BEEN IGNORING A RESOURCE FOR AGING ADULTS?
Katherine L. Fiori, 1 Oliver Huxhold, 2 Noah J. Webster, 3 and Toni C. Antonucci 3 , 1. Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, United States, 2. German Centre of Gerontology, Berlin, Berlin, Germany,

Institute for Social Research Room, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
The purpose of this study was to examine links between changes in social ties (close ties and weaker ties) and changes in positive and depressed affect across three waves in a large, representative sample of U.S. adults aged 40 and over (N = 802). Using trivariate dual-change score models, we found that a greater number of weaker ties was associated with higher numbers of close ties over time, and that the number of weaker ties was more strongly predictive of positive age-related changes in both aspects of well-being (i.e., less depressed affect and more positive affect) than the number of close ties. Our findings imply that focusing investment on the outer circles may have the unintended benefit of compensating for losses in the inner circle, and that contrary to popular theoretical orientations, weaker ties may offer older adults an avenue for both promoting positive affect and decreasing negative affect. Age-related declines in multiple aspects of sex life are well documented, but we know little about historical change in key sexuality facets. We examine cohort differences in the perceived importance of sexuality and the evaluation of one's sex life among middle-aged adults. We compare data from 55 to 64-year-olds in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) obtained in 1992-1993 (n = 718) vs. 2012-2013 (n = 860). Results revealed that later-born adults perceive sexuality as more important than their earlierborn peers. Effect sizes were small at the sample level (d < .15), but substantial for particular subpopulations (women without partner: d = .56). In zero-order models, later-born adults evaluated their sex life as slightly less pleasant, but differences did not hold when covarying relevant individual and cohort difference factors. We conclude that historical changes in late-midlife sexuality are multifaceted and discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

LIFE-SPACE MOBILITY AS A PREDICTOR OF MEDICARE UTILIZATION AMONG COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER MEXICAN AMERICANS
Jason P. Johnson, 1 Lin-Na Chou, 1 Yong-Fang Kuo, 1 Kenneth Ottenbacher, 1 and Soham Al Snih 2 , 1. University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston,Texas,United States,2. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston,Galveston,Texas,United States Hispanics are a large and growing group of older adults, with higher rates of morbidity and disability than other racial/ethnic groups. Mexican Americans make up more than half of this population and are well represented in the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE) survey, a longitudinal study of community-dwelling older Mexican Americans. The University of Alabama Birmingham Life-Space Assessment (LSA) is a measure assessing patterns of functional mobility in and around the home, neighborhood, and community.
This study addresses the gap in research of life-space mobility and healthcare utilization with linked insurance claims data. Four hundred eight participants with 1-year continuous Medicare enrollment from wave 7 (2010) of the HEPESE were linked with Medicare claims. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of hospitalization and ER admissions. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the rate ratio of physician visits. LSA score ranges 0 to 120, with higher scores indicating greater life-space mobility; LSA was analyzed as a 10-point decrease or dichotomously as restricted ≤59 or not restricted ≥60. A restricted LSA score among older Mexican American Medicare beneficiaries was associated with OR of 2.73 for hospitalizations (95% CI= 1.18-6.31). In addition, a 5-point decline in LSA score was associated with OR of 1.12 for hospitalizations (95% CI= 1.04-1.22). LSA score was not significantly associated with ER admission or physician visit. Interventions aimed to increase mobility in the home and the community may reduce the risk of hospitalizations in this population. Frailty and disabilities are highly prevalent among kidney transplant (KT) recipients, but are not routinely measured in KT recipients. The Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) is a clinically perceived measure used to evaluate patient's ability to manage daily activities, but little is known about its post-KT trajectories and its relationship to frailty and disability in KT recipients. We leveraged a cohort of 159,992 adult KT recipients from SRTR (1/2005-6/2018) and a cohort of 1,106 adult KT recipients from a prospective cohort study on aging and KT with recorded KPS (range 10%-100% integers). In each separate cohort, we used mixed effects models to assess differences in trajectories of KPS post-KT. In 159,992 KT recipients in SRTR, the mean unadjusted KPS score was 88.34% (95%CI: 88.28%, 88.40%) and declined at a rate of -0.59%/year (95%CI: -0.61%, -0.57%) post-KT, such that by 2-years post-KT the average was 87.00% (95%CI: 86.94%, 87.05%). Age at KT was associated with steeper decline in KPS (p0.05). KPS is a measure of functional status distinct from frailty, ADL, IADL, and SPPB at KT admission that declines with older age post-KT. Older KT recipients should be monitored closely for declines in physical function, and potentially undergo prehabilitation to improve functional status post-KT.

PREFRONTAL CORTICAL ACTIVITY DIFFERENCES WHILE DUAL-TASK WALKING IN OLDER ADULTS WITH IMPAIRED MOBILITY
Manuel E. Hernandez 1 , 1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States Mobility impairments are prevalent in older adults. Whereas walking had traditionally been viewed as an autonomous process, evidence over the last decade has shown Innovation in Aging, 2019, Vol. 3, No. S1