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Background and Objectives This study introduces a theoretical framework for assessing age inclusivity in higher education environments and describes the Age-Friendly Inventory and Campus Climate Survey (ICCS). The ICCS measures age-friendly campus practices as reported by administrators, perceptions of age friendliness by campus constituents, and the fit between objective practices and subjective perceptions as an overall indicator of age inclusivity. Research Design and Methods The ICCS was administered at a public university in the northeastern United States. Administrators completed the Inventory of potential age-friendly campus practices associated with their units. Campus constituents (n = 688) completed the online Campus Climate Survey to assess subjective awareness of these practices, perceived age-friendliness, and personal beliefs about age inclusivity. Results The Inventory yielded a score of 66% of potential age-friendly practices in place as reported by administrators. The Campus Climate Survey showed low overall perceptions of age-friendliness and varied beliefs about age inclusivity on campus. Fit was measured by comparing the Inventory practices and Campus Climate Survey awareness of the existence of 47 of 73 potential practices. Convergence on this campus showed an awareness of 36% of age-friendly practices. Discussion and Implications Based on the proposed theoretical framework for age inclusivity, the ICCS offers a way of assessing the age-friendliness of the objective environment across campus functions, the subjective environment across campus constituents, and the fit between subjective and objective environments on campuses. The ICCS will help higher education institutions identify strengths and challenges for advancing age inclusivity.

Objectives This study examined the relationships between chronic diseases, functional limitations, sense of control, and subjective age. Older adults may evaluate their subjective age by reference to their younger healthier selves and thus health and functional status are likely to be determinants of subjective age. Although sense of control is also a potential predictor of subjective age, stress-inducing factors associated with disease and functional limitations may reduce older adults' sense of control, making them feel older. Methods Using the 2010 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, structural equation modeling was performed on a sample of 6,329 respondents older than 50 years to determine if sense of control mediated the relationship between chronic diseases, limitations in instrumental/basic activities of daily living (ADLs, IADLs), and subjective age. Results Chronic diseases and limitations in ADLs had a positive, direct association with subjective age (β=0.037, p=.005; β=0.068, p=.001, respectively). In addition, chronic diseases and limitations in ADLs and IADLs were positively, indirectly associated with subjective age via a diminished sense of control (β=0.006, p=.000; β=0.007, p=.003; β=0.019, p=.000, respectively). Discussion As predicted by the Deterioration Model, the findings showed that chronic diseases and functional impairment are associated with older adults feeling older by challenging the psychological resource of sense of control. Appropriate interventions for dealing with health challenges and preserving sense of control may help prevent the adverse downstream effects of older subjective age.

Increasing diversity and rapidly evolving sociopolitical context is changing the face of bias experiences in contemporary America. Accordingly, literature has evolved into four unique ways of describing bias, namely lifetime discrimination and victimization, everyday discrimination, and microaggressions. However, there is less conceptual clarity on the way these constructs are operationalized, measured, and their relationship to one another and health outcomes. In this paper, we discuss the measurement of these four constructs and report their prevalence among a national sample of LGBTQ older adults (N=2,450). The correlation between these constructs varied between 0.36 to 0.63, which shows that despite considerable overlap they are measuring distinct aspects of bias experiences. Each of the constructs had a significant association with depression, general health and quality of life. When the four constructs were entered into a regression model, everyday discrimination (due to sexual and gender identity and other factors) emerged as the strongest predictor.

Objectives Loneliness is associated with diminished health and cognition for older individuals. However, little research has examined dyadic loneliness – that is, loneliness of both partners in a relationship – and its potential consequences for cognitive functioning among both spouses, nor whether one partner’s cognition may impact both partners’ loneliness over time. Methods We analyze 3-wave dyadic Health and Retirement Study data (2010-2020; N=1,061 dyads) to determine (a) whether loneliness predicts participants’ own and/or their partners’ episodic memory and verbal fluency over 8 years, and (b) whether cognitive functioning predicts older spouses’ own or their partners’ loneliness over the same period. Results Loneliness predicted participants’ own and their partners’ loneliness at follow-up, at both timepoints. Loneliness was also associated with own episodic memory at follow-up, but not with verbal fluency. Episodic memory and verbal fluency predicted one another over time. Neither episodic memory nor verbal fluency predicted loneliness at follow-up. Significant dyadic mediation was established such that Time 1 loneliness was linked with partner’s Time 3 episodic memory via that partner’s Time 2 loneliness. Discussion Lonelier older adults displayed worse trajectories of episodic memory over time, yet poor memory did not precede changes to loneliness. Further, having a lonely partner was linked with poorer episodic memory 8 years later, indicating that both one’s own and – to a lesser extent – a partner’s emotional well-being may be consequential for maintaining cognitive functioning with age. Associations were more clearly established with episodic memory than with verbal fluency, suggesting potential domain-specific effects of loneliness.