KEY DIMENSIONS OF OASIS, AN OLDER-ADULT DRIVEN MODEL OF AGING-IN-PLACE IN CANADA

Abstract Oasis Senior Supportive Living (Oasis) is an active aging-in-place model created by older adults in a naturally occurring retirement community, such as an apartment building. The program is member-driven so that participating older residents determine the programming and services that best address their needs. The first Oasis program was established in an apartment building in Kingston, Canada and has been running for more than ten years. Preliminary evaluations of the Oasis program demonstrate that its members report feeling more socially connected, are more physically active, and have increased nutrition as a result of participation. In-depth interviews were conducted with Oasis members and key program stakeholders to identify the core dimensions of the Oasis program that has led to its success in supporting active aging in place. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze and report themes. Four themes emerged: (1) nutrition, social and physical activities as critical programming pillars; (2) the importance of active member participation and decision-making; (3) the need for onsite support to facilitate programming; and (4) Oasis as a family. These findings highlight the need for programming that is designed for and by older adults. Supporting older adults to come together and form community is key to healthy and active aging. Identification of these elements is critical to modelling Oasis in other community contexts. Oasis is currently being expanded to seven new communities across Ontario using a participatory action research approach.


AARP, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
This study examined the efficacy of a series of 28 behaviors (e.g., comfort eating, attending worship services, getting a massage, etc.) in moderating the perception of stress among older adults. First, 28 individual behaviors were assessed to determine whether they buffered or exacerbated the impact of an objective stress measure (i.e., the count of stressful life events) on perceptions of stress (measured using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]). A full sample analysis used data from 1,000 randomly selected U.S. adults age 40 and older, but subsequent analyses explored coping behaviors for two age groups-those age 40 to 59 and those 60 and older. In the full sample analysis, multiple moderating conditions were noted including stress-buffering for worship service attendance, recreational shopping, and getting a massage. Also among the full 40+ sample, stress-exacerbation was noted for social media use and coping by "overreacting to things." Factor analysis (employing a polychoric correlation matrix) reduced the 28 individual behaviors into 9 clusters comprised of related behaviors and representing a general coping approach. Looking within the age groups, significant stressbuffering was limited to those age 60 and older for two coping approaches-a "Self-Care and Travel" approach and an Inspirational approach (e.g., praying, attending church, etc.). For both age subgroups there was no coping approach, not even the hedonistic "blowing off steam" approach, that was found to exacerbate the impact of stressful life events on the perception of stress.

RELATION BETWEEN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AND AMNESTIC MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT ACROSS TWO TIME POINTS
Richard Vandiver, 1 Michael J. Lyons, 1 and Kristy Cuthbert 1 ,

Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Previous research by the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA) demonstrated an association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and cognitive functioning. That finding supports a hypothesis that cardiovascular dysfunction may underlie both ED and problems in cognitive functioning. The purpose of the current research was to extend these findings by investigating a putative association between ED and amnestic and non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is of particular interest because of its relationship with Alzheimer's disease and other dementing illnesses. VETSA is a longitudinal study of twins who served in the US military during the Vietnam conflict (N= 960) consisting of data collected at age 20 (enlistment), age 55 (VETSA 1), and 61 (VETSA 2). The results of the current analyses show that ED is related to both amnestic MCI (p=.032) and nonamnestic MCI (p=.009) at VETSA 1. At VETSA 2, however, the relationship between ED and non-amnestic MCI was no longer significant (p=.751) while the relationship between ED and amnestic MCI was stronger (p=.001). These results are consistent with ED and MCI sharing, to some extent, a common etiology. Vascular dysfunction, which is associated with both ED and MCI, is a plausible mechanism responsible for the observed relationship. These results also highlight the potential role that may be played by ED as an early indicator of cognitive impairment and, perhaps, pre-symptomatic AD. Oasis Senior Supportive Living (Oasis) is an active agingin-place model created by older adults in a naturally occurring retirement community, such as an apartment building. The program is member-driven so that participating older residents determine the programming and services that best address their needs. The first Oasis program was established in an apartment building in Kingston, Canada and has been running for more than ten years. Preliminary evaluations of the Oasis program demonstrate that its members report feeling more socially connected, are more physically active, and have increased nutrition as a result of participation.

KEY DIMENSIONS OF OASIS, AN OLDER-ADULT DRIVEN MODEL OF AGING-IN-PLACE IN CANADA
In-depth interviews were conducted with Oasis members and key program stakeholders to identify the core dimensions of the Oasis program that has led to its success in supporting active aging in place. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze and report themes. Four themes emerged: (1) nutrition, social and physical activities as critical programming pillars; (2) the importance of active member participation and decision-making; (3) the need for onsite support to facilitate programming; and (4) Oasis as a family. These findings highlight the need for programming that is designed for and by older adults. Supporting older adults to come together and form community is key to healthy and active aging. Identification of these elements is critical to modelling Oasis in other community contexts. Oasis is currently being expanded to seven new communities across Ontario using a participatory action research approach. Blood pressure and perfusion of the brain are central components of neurological health that are often influenced by heart failure. This retrospective case-control study analyzed blood pressure changes preceding the diagnosis of dementia in patients over the age of 60. Blood pressures were obtained from the date of dementia diagnosis, and then one year and five years before diagnosis. Study "controls" were agematched patients without dementia, using the mean age of dementia diagnosis as the first data point. Over the five-year period preceding diagnosis, 67.2% with dementia showed decreasing systolic pressure compared to 46.6% of patients without dementia. Similarly, 62.7% with dementia showed a decreasing systolic pressure over the one-year period, compared to 50.0% of those without dementia. Additionally, there was a significant difference (p < 0.001) in the dementia rates between African American and Caucasian subgroups (55.0% African Americans vs. 31.0% Caucasians). Patients with dementia were more likely to have decreasing blood pressure trends than age-matched patients without dementia and appeared to have significantly lower blood pressures one year before the diagnosis. It is crucial that providers are cognizant of these trends and risk factors for dementia as they manage blood pressures in geriatric patients.

SMOOTHING THE MOVE FROM POST-ACUTE TO HOME CARE FOR OLDER CARDIAC PATIENTS: A SOCIAL WORK TRANSITIONS INITIATIVE
Orah R. Burack, 1 Jessica Auerbach-Burgoon, 1 Sandra Mundy, 1 and Verena R. Cimarolli 2 , 1. The New Jewish Home,New York,New York,United States,2. LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston,Washington,District of Columbia,United States Transitioning across medical settings (e.g. from hospital to post-acute (PA) or PA to homecare (HC)) is a difficult time with numerous challenges, as critical information passes across sites, new systems are quickly established, and caretakers change. Older cardiac heart failure (CHF) patients, often with comorbidities and having fewer social supports, are especially vulnerable to rehospitalizations at that time. This study examines the impact of a Social Work Transitions (SWT) intervention, designed to ease older cardiac patients' transition from a PA to HC setting, on rehospitalization rates. The SWT model for CHF patients was developed in a large healthcare system with a continuum of services for older adults including PA and HC. Once a patient enters PA from the hospital a transitions social worker (SW) remains the patient's primary support and contact through PA discharge and the transition to HC. In HC, that same SW ensures needed services occur, conducts home visits, and provides additional follow-up via phone calls. Study 1: compared HC rehospitalization rates of CHF patients receiving SWT (N=28) with those not receiving SWT (N=26). This natural control group arose during the initial program months, as SW turnover occurred and some CHF patients were not accompanied by a transitions SW. SWT patients had half the rehospitalizations (25%) as controls (54%). Study 2 tracked 30 day rehospitalizations rates for the first 17 study months (N=257). Program rehospitalization rates (16.7%) were below the CMS benchmark (21%). These findings support using the SWT program to prevent unnecessary rehospitalizations in CHF patient.