THE EFFECTS OF HOUSING AND LIVING STANDARDS ON LONELINESS AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION AMONG OLDER PEOPLE

Abstract Introduction Housing security is a likely indicator of loneliness (Gierveld et. al. 2015, Gonyea et. al. 2018) but there are few studies that focus specifically on the relationship between the two. This paper presents findings from a New Zealand Ageing Well National Science Challenge research programme that presents findings on the impacts of housing and living standards on loneliness and social exclusion. Method: This presentation will provide results from a study of 200+ Māori (indigenous New Zealanders) aged 50 years and over. Key questions around loneliness and social isolation were co-created with the participants and responses compared with standard international scales to help identify both universal aspects of loneliness and culturally specific aspects. Questions relating to housing security, affordability, living standards and neighbourhood safety were also asked. Regression analysis was used to test the statistical significance of the various relationships between differing aspects of housing and loneliness. Results The results demonstrate statistically significant relationships between housing quality, affordability, living standards and neighbourhood suitability with both the universal and culturally specific scales of loneliness. Overall greater housing security and quality was shown to be negatively associated with loneliness, which suggests it contributes to the reduction of loneliness. Conclusion Addressing the quality of social connections has often been seen as the key way to address loneliness. The results of this study suggest housing security and living standards play an important role in people’s perception of loneliness and their experience of it, as well.

56.99% women; 15.76% Black).Participants reported chronic sleep problems experienced in the past year, alongside frequency of experiencing sleep disruptions (trouble with onset, maintenance, feeling unrested).Participants also reported economic impacts (financial, housing, and job-related) experienced in the aftermath of the recession; with 75.56% reporting at least one adverse recession event.Regression indicated that recession events were significantly associated with higher odds of chronic sleep problems and high frequency sleep disruptions in wave 3, even when controlling for sleep problems in wave 2. When examining race and age as moderators, Black participants who experienced adverse events were more vulnerable to chronic sleep problems than white participants, whereas age showed no significant interactions.Results indicate that adverse economic events can impact sleep quality for midlife and aging adults, and that policy mitigating economic effects on sleep may especially benefit Black adults.Subsequent analyses will examine the effect of recession events on daily sleep patterns.

THE EFFECTS OF HOUSING AND LIVING STANDARDS ON LONELINESS AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION AMONG OLDER PEOPLE
Charles Waldegrave 1 , Chris Cunningham 2 , Catherine Love 3 , and Giang Nguyen 3 , 1. Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit,Lower Hutt,Wellington,New Zealand,2. Research Centre for Maori Health and Development,Wellington,Wellington,New Zealand,3. Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit,Wellington,Wellington,New Zealand Introduction: Housing security is a likely indicator of loneliness (Gierveld et. al. 2015, Gonyea et. al. 2018) but there are few studies that focus specifically on the relationship between the two.This paper presents findings from a New Zealand Ageing Well National Science Challenge research programme that presents findings on the impacts of housing and living standards on loneliness and social exclusion.Method: This presentation will provide results from a study of 200+ Māori (indigenous New Zealanders) aged 50 years and over.Key questions around loneliness and social isolation were co-created with the participants and responses compared with standard international scales to help identify both universal aspects of loneliness and culturally specific aspects.Questions relating to housing security, affordability, living standards and neighbourhood safety were also asked.Regression analysis was used to test the statistical significance of the various relationships between differing aspects of housing and loneliness.
Results: The results demonstrate statistically significant relationships between housing quality, affordability, living standards and neighbourhood suitability with both the universal and culturally specific scales of loneliness.Overall greater housing security and quality was shown to be negatively associated with loneliness, which suggests it contributes to the reduction of loneliness.
Conclusion: Addressing the quality of social connections has often been seen as the key way to address loneliness.The results of this study suggest housing security and living standards play an important role in people's perception of loneliness and their experience of it, as well.

IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH: INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAMS ACROSS UNIVERSITY SETTINGS
Chair: Jill Juris Co-Chair: Skye Leedahl Discussant: Natalie Douglas Implementing intergenerational programs within university settings has been associated with benefits for all generations involved, which often includes young children, university students, and older adults.However, from conceptualization to pilot testing to evaluation, challenges and opportunities present themselves.This symposium will highlight implementation realities for intergenerational programs within higher education settings.This symposium will specifically address dimensions of: geography (rural versus urban), modality (such as in-person, virtual, or a mix), community/university partnerships, and scholarship for faculty balancing instruction and research demands.Addressing stages of implementation, the papers reflect a continuum from pre-planning to pilot to more advanced stages of implementation.First, Lisa Borrero will highlight challenges and opportunities of conceptualizing fully online intergenerational programming, including the preimplementation planning, execution, and evaluation stages.The second paper from Ladan Ghazi Saidi will describe pre-implementation tasks completed to establish interest in intergenerational programming in a rural setting, as well as challenges stemming from the pandemic.Third, Jill Juris and colleagues will highlight an online intergenerational technology program offered from a rural Western North Carolina university that began implementation during the pandemic.Fourth, Rachel Scrivano and colleagues will describe a community-based participatory research method that bridged the gap between expectations and reality of implementing a 5-year intergenerational program focused on healthy food access.The fifth paper from Skye Leedahl and colleagues will discuss the implementation experiences of an intergenerational, reverse mentoring, technology program that has evolved for seven years at a Rhode Island public university and utilizes community partners from across the state.

OPTIMIZING ONLINE DELIVERY OF INTERGENERATIONAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES: LEVERAGING OPPORTUNITIES Lisa Borrero, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Conceptualizing intergenerational opportunities for students in fully online courses can initially appear daunting or impractical, given the absence of a common physical classroom and community environment.However, it could be argued that online learning serves as a facilitator, rather than a barrier to intergenerational programming.This session will focus on the connections between intergenerational programming and the principles of quality online teachingemphasizing the ability of online modalities to increase connections with a global community, remove the limitations of geographic-based access to experiences, and elevate the level of student engagement typically expected within online