New Perspectives on Predicting and Modifying Cognition in Older Adulthood

Abstract The underlying theme of my research is to advance our understanding of cognitive aging through early detection of cognitive decline and the promotion of positive lifestyle factors. I will present my past and recent work that uses new perspectives to predict and modify cognition with older age, specifically focusing on intraindividual variability in cognitive speed, and lifestyle activity engagement. This includes examining the utility of variability in cognitive speed, usually a predictor of decline, instead as a predictor of cognitive plasticity following activity interventions. Further, the association between activity engagement and later cognitive ability and dementia risk is more complex than first appears. I will present research that looks at critical issues about the activity-cognition relation from a different perspective, including unique frameworks investigating the ideal way to measure activity, and the duration of how long past activity can potentially impact cognition. Finally, I will discuss my future research directions.


BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: BRIDGING RESEARCH AND PRACTICE TO ACHIEVE HEALTH EQUITY Karen Lincoln, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States
Health inequity is linked to societal and social determinants that constrain health promoting opportunities for older adults.From birth to death, many older adults contend with the prevailing social and health effects of discrimination in employment, education, and housing.As a consequence, middle-aged Black Americans are experiencing accelerated aging, and living with and dying from preventable chronic health conditions typically diagnosed at older ages.Despite these conditions, there is much variation in health outcomes among older Black Americans.Professor Karen Lincoln will share her approach to research that explores heterogeneity within the Black American population to discover factors that promote healthy aging.She will describe her unique outreach and health education program that serves older adults in underserved communities, and her roles as an aging advocate and public scholar.She will discuss how these experiences led to the development and testing of an innovative intervention to reduce Alzheimer's disease disparities.

BUILDING THE EVIDENCE FOR HOSPITAL MOBILITY
Low mobility in the hospital, defined as mobility limited to bed rest or bed to chair transfers, is associated with high rates of functional decline, nursing home placement, and death even after adjusting for illness severity and comorbidity.This lecture will describe the gradual of building of evidence for both the adverse outcomes and potential solutions at both an individual and a health system level to address the challenge of low mobility.

JOSEPH T. FREEMAN AWARD LECTURE
The Joseph T. Freeman Award lecture will feature an address by the2020 Freeman Award recipient Cynthia Brown, MD, MSPH.The Joseph T. Freeman Award is a lectureship in geriatrics awarded to a prominent physician in the field of aging, both in research and practice.The award was established in1977 through a bequest from a patient's estate as a tribute to Dr. Joseph T. Freeman.

EXCELLENCE IN REHABILITATION AWARD
The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award lecture will feature an address by the 2020 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award recipient Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR.The Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award is designed to acknowledge outstanding contributions in the field of the rehabilitation of aging individuals.

REHABILITATION OF AGING PERSONS: THE PAST, THE PRESENT & THE PROMISE Kenneth Ottenbacher, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States
The 2020 Excellence in Rehabilitation of Aging Persons Award presentation will address my efforts over the past 35 years related to research methods, functional status, mobility, and self-care.Studies conducted in the past 25 years on disability and recovery in older adults with an emphasis on minority health will be presented.Research examining rehabilitation outcomes related to health care reform including the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act, and using Medicare files, will be described.The role of Data Science and Discovery, as defined by the NIH and related to rehabilitation in older adults, will also be presented.

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD LECTURES Chair: Cynthia Hancock
The Distinguished Faculty Award lecture will feature an address by2020 recipient Mary W. Carter, PhD.The GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Innovation in Aging, 2020, Vol. 4, No. S1