Evaluating Service-Learning with Older Adults on Undergraduate College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Introduction: Students in the Frontiers in Human Aging course at UCLA participate in service-learning (SL) with older adults. In 2020, completion of SL coincided with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the impact of SL on student attitudes on aging and community service in the context of the pandemic. Methods: Students were assigned to senior residential and daycare programs for 18-20 hours of SL. A retrospective pretest-posttest survey asked about attitudes and interests before and after SL and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these perceptions; 73 (of 103) students responded. Mean differences before and after SL were tested and differences were assessed within groups reporting COVID-19 effects. Results: SL improved students’ attitudes and ability to engage with older adults, knowledge about aging concepts, interest in future work with older adults, attitudes on community service, social well-being and feelings of usefulness (p<0.001). There was no significant change in overall anxiety about aging (p=0.1), however, students showed increased anxiety about losing independence and finances when older (p<0.05). At least 50% of students reported that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their awareness of needs of older adults (81.9%) and decreased connection to their peers (50.7%); the impact of SL remained unchanged by these effects. Conclusion: Despite the overall benefits of SL, increased anxiety about aspects of aging suggests the need to address these concerns. While the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to affect the impact of SL, this event did seem to influence perceptions about aging and social integration.

by stress process and behavior models, a thematic analysis of dual caregivers' interviews revealed that caregivers had less time for themselves, engaged in self-care activities less often, and felt their social life had suffered. Many of the caregivers reported feeling exhausted, stressed, and had more things to do than they could handle. Of the eight caregivers that used services before COVID-19, six experienced a change in services including loss of services, different workers, or selfselected cancellation of services. Discussion focuses on challenges dual dementia caregivers face and the added stressors they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF DIVERSE OLDER ADULTS LIVING ALONE WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Elena Portacolone, 1 Anna Chodos, 1 Jodi halpern, 2 Kenneth Covinsky, 1 Sahru Keiser, 3 Jennifer Fung, 1 Elizabeth Rivera, 1 and Julene K. Johnson, 1 1. University of California San Francisco,San Francisco,California,United States,2. University of California Berkeley,Berkeley,California,United States,3. UCSF,San Francisco,California,United States Background and Objectives: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults with cognitive impairment living alone (an estimated 4,3 million individuals in the United States) were at high risk for negative health outcomes. There is an urgent need to learn how this population is managing during the pandemic. Research Design and Methods: This is a qualitative study of 24 adults aged 55 and over living alone with cognitive impairment from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Participants' lived experiences during the pandemic were elicited via 59 ethnographic interviews conducted over the phone either in English, Spanish, or Cantonese. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, interview transcripts and fieldnotes were analyzed to identify codes and themes. Results: Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed five themes: 1) fear generated by the pandemic; 2) distress stemming from feeling extremely isolated; 3) belief in misinformation, 4) strategies for coping during the pandemic; and 5) the importance of access to essential services. Discussion and Implications: This pandemic put a spotlight on the precarity and unmet needs of older adults living alone with cognitive impairment living. Findings underscore the need to expand access to home care aides and mental health services for this population.

EVALUATING SERVICE-LEARNING WITH OLDER ADULTS ON UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Sharon Merkin, UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, United States
Introduction: Students in the Frontiers in Human Aging course at UCLA participate in service-learning (SL) with older adults. In 2020, completion of SL coincided with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the impact of SL on student attitudes on aging and community service in the context of the pandemic. Methods: Students were assigned to senior residential and daycare programs for 18-20 hours of SL. A retrospective pretest-posttest survey asked about attitudes and interests before and after SL and how the COVID-19 pandemic affected these perceptions; 73 (of 103) students responded.

GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting
Innovation in Aging, 2020, Vol. 4, No. S1 Mean differences before and after SL were tested and differences were assessed within groups reporting COVID-19 effects. Results: SL improved students' attitudes and ability to engage with older adults, knowledge about aging concepts, interest in future work with older adults, attitudes on community service, social well-being and feelings of usefulness (p<0.001). There was no significant change in overall anxiety about aging (p=0.1), however, students showed increased anxiety about losing independence and finances when older (p<0.05). At least 50% of students reported that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their awareness of needs of older adults (81.9%) and decreased connection to their peers (50.7%); the impact of SL remained unchanged by these effects. Conclusion: Despite the overall benefits of SL, increased anxiety about aspects of aging suggests the need to address these concerns. While the COVID-19 pandemic did not seem to affect the impact of SL, this event did seem to influence perceptions about aging and social integration. In 2020, the Center of Innovation for Veteran Centered and Value Driven Care (COIN) continued its monitoring and evaluation of the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Foster Home (MFH) programs expansion into rural areas. Veterans in MFHs are provided 24/7 care by VA trained and supervised community caregivers and primary care by VA Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) teams. One year after the three-year (2017-2019) expansion funds stopped, COIN continued monitoring remaining programs. Objectives were to understand factors critical for program expansion and sustainability and the impact of COVID-19. Phone interviews were conducted with sixteen coordinators from seventeen programs. A thematic analysis approach was used to address the evaluation objectives using transcript data. Findings showed factors important to program sustainability were: 1) Program fit (finding caregivers in the community); and 2) Local VA facility support (staffing, adaptation, and local leadership support). COVID prompted losing some caregivers and prevented others from joining. Program staffing was not impacted as many program activities ceased. Recreational therapists (RTs) were significant to maintaining Veterans well-being and reducing social isolation through virtual activities. COVID required coordinators transition their supervision of MFHs to new virtual environments and HBPC to increase telehealth to new levels. Local leadership became important to monitoring local conditions and providing support to programs. The evaluation: 1) Found factors important to program sustainability were also critical to keeping programs operational during the pandemic; and 2) Stimulated future research on the suitability of MFH programs to meet challenges to resurgences of COVID or other national emergencies.

. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, United States
During the COVID-19 global pandemic people's lived experiences and day-to-day lives have been tremendously impacted. This impact is believed to be more severe in people with a memory-impaired partner at home. As part of an ongoing cognitive intervention project with the Emory-Georgia Tech Cognitive Empowerment Program (CEP), we conducted interviews with dyads (one person with diagnosed amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and one person, in this case, a spouse who is an identified care partner). To address the COVID-19 pandemic, we supplemented the existing interview about everyday cognition with several questions about the dyadic experience during the pandemic. To date, we have conducted 5 qualitative interviews with dyads. Preliminary results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional everyday challenges and cognitive burden for care partners of people diagnosed with aMCI. Some of these challenges include the need to manage pandemic precautionary behaviors, such as mask wearing and maintaining social distancing, for both themselves and the care recipient. In contrast, some aspects of everyday remembering among these dyads have improved (e.g. more advance planning of things like grocery shopping and outings). The results of these interviews will provide additional unique insights into the everyday cognitive challenges of the pandemic on caregivers and persons with aMCI.

EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES ACROSS AGE: A STRESS AND COPING FRAMEWORK
Jillian Minahan, 1 Francesca Falzarano, 2 Neshat Yazdani, 3 and Karen Siedlecki, 4 1. Fordham University,New Providence,New Jersey,United States,2. Weill Cornell Medicine,New York,New York,United States,3. Fordham University,Bronx,New York,United States,4. Fordham University,New York,New York,United States The emergence of COVID-19 and the measures implemented to curb its spread are anticipated to have long-term implications for mental health. Older adults may be at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes as opportunities to remain socially connected have diminished. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of pandemic-related stress on mental health. Utilizing the stress and coping framework, the purpose of this study is three-fold: 1) to examine the influences of COVID-19-related stress on depression, anxiety, and loneliness, 2) to assess the mediating role of coping style and social support, and 3) to investigate whether these relationships vary across age. Participants (N = 1,318) between the ages of 18-92 years completed an online survey, assessing pandemic-related stress, mental health, social support, coping, and their experiences with social distancing, during the initial implementation of social distancing measures in the United States. Stress, social support, and coping style were related to psychosocial outcomes. Results suggested that avoidant coping mediated the relationship between pandemic-related stress and psychosocial outcomes, particularly depression.