As gerontology has shifted from emphasizing the problems of aging to exploring how older adults can thrive, researchers have increased their attention on new issues including sexuality and aging. A sometimes explicit, but often implicit assumption in this research, is that sex is good for you—that it is an integral part of a full and healthy life or successful aging. Although successful aging is one of the most commonly cited theories in social gerontology (Alley et al. 2010), it has not gone without criticism (Martinson and Berridge 2014). Using an unrefined successful aging framework for sex research has the potential to promote aging and sexuality in narrow ways and privilege certain groups over others. This research examines the relationship between sexual activity and health from a feminist gerontological perspective. In particular, I explore differences in what counts as sex and how gender and social location influence the relationship between health and sexual activity. Using a nationally representative sample of community dwelling older adults (3005) from the first wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, I find that older adults engage in a wide variety of sexual activity which differs by social location (e.g. gender, race, and class). Furthermore, gender differences in sexual behavior are not merely due to a lack of access to healthy partners for women. Much of the gender gap in sexual behavior can be explained by disparities in sexual interest and desire. In addition, using more inclusive definitions of sex, partnered sexual behavior is associated with health even after accounting for demographics and relationship factors. In conclusion, existing models of aging and sexuality, relying on successful aging or a correlation between continued sexual activity and health, may limit our understanding of the experiences of women and sexual minorities. A feminist gerontological approach provides a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between health and continued sexual activity.

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Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Laszlo Kulcsar / This study provided an exploratory qualitative analysis of printed brochures to evaluate the conceptualization of successful aging. Data was collected from a sample of 39 printed brochures derived from Kansas Department on Aging Directory (KDAD) of Adult Care Homes 2009. Content analysis methodology was employed to investigate how these brochures reflect the core elements of successful aging as constructed in the gerontological literature (Rowe and Kahn’s and Baltes and Baltes), as well as compare across the ‘traditional’ and ‘culture-change’ models. Other variables of ‘licensure classification’, ‘residency cost’ and ‘gender’ were explored. An overall perspective indicated several brochures met the core elements of successful aging delineated by the literature. In most cases, these elements showed no significance difference for brochures representing facilities by model types, licensure classifications, residency cost and by the demographic of gender.

Successful aging, the ability to resist age-associated illnesses and functional disability, is of increasing importance as the population ages. Studies have shown that exceptionally long-lived individuals fit the successful aging paradigm by compressing disability toward the end of life. This study investigated whether there is evidence of successful cognitive aging in a familial longevity cohort, the Long Life Family Study (LLFS). Part 1 describes the feasibility of conducting a 2.5 hour neuropsychological battery emphasizing episodic memory and executive function, cognitive domains that elicit signs of cognitive dysfunction in relation to normal aging and dementia. The rationale for the selected tests is discussed within the context of minimizing effects from sensory impairments in an aged cohort and optimizing qualitative and quantitative data. In Part 2, the testing of 70 proband generation and 100 offspring generation LLFS participants and 140 generation-matched referent participants without familial longevity is described. Comparison of LLFS proband generation participants with their referent cohort revealed no significant differences in test scores. However, the referent cohort also had more years of education (an important exposure which is discussed in Part 3). LLFS offspring generation participants had borderline significant better performance on a test of executive function (Clock Drawing Test) and attention (Digits Forward) compared with referents. These findings suggest that familial longevity is associated with better cognitive function even at relatively young ages. Continuing to follow these cohorts to older ages may reveal differences in rate of change in cognitive function. Part 3 examines the role of indicators of cognitive reserve. In the proband generation education and participation in mid- and late-life cognitively stimulating activities were found to be higher in the referent cohort. This suggests that people without familial longevity may be more reliant on higher cognitive reserve in order to achieve similar cognitive performance to those from long-lived families. Implications of preserved cognitive function in long-lived families and the effect of cognitive reserve in those without familial longevity are discussed in terms of compression of disability and successful cognitive aging.

The studies presented in this dissertation were conducted with the objective ofgaining greater understanding into the mechanisms of successful aging, the role ofmitochondria dysfunction in traumatic brain injury, and also on the mechanisms ofimproved learning and cognitive function in the aging.Aging is usually characterized by impairments in physiological functionsincreasing its susceptibility to dementia and neurodegenerative disorders. In thisdissertation, the mechanisms of dementia-free aging were investigated. The use of anantioxidant fortified diet and a program of behavioral enrichment in the canine model ofhuman aging was shown to result in a significant decrease in the levels of oxidativestress. A proteomic analysis of these brains also demonstrated a significant decrease inthe oxidative modification of key brain proteins and an increase in the expression levelsof other key brain proteins associated with energy metabolism and antioxidant systemswhich correlated with improved learning and memory.We show that following TBI key mitochondrial-related proteins undergoextensive oxidative modification, possibly contributing to the severe loss ofmitochondrial energetics and neuronal cell death previously observed in experimentalTBI.Taken together, these findings support the role of oxidative stress in thepathophysiology of aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders and in CNS injury.These studies also show that antioxidants and a program of behavioral enrichmentprovide protection against oxidative stress-mediated cognitive impairments.

Does the Internet really improve the lives of older adults? The literature around information and communication technology would suggest that use of the Internet can help to promote social inclusion but is this the case for older adults? The aim of this study was to understand the relationship older adults have with the Internet. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 participants aged 70 to 90 in Fall 2014 to explore the perceived benefits and barriers older adults experience with regards to Internet use. The Internet was found to plays an important role in the lives of older adults who use it. Light Internet users were the group most dissatisfied with their Internet abilities. Light users and non-users both expressed feeling left out due to their perceived lack of abilities. Non-users had no intention of learning to use the Internet despite having access to potential support, whereas light Internet users indicated feelings of frustration around perceived lack of support. Users and non-users discussed feelings of concern and suspicions related to the Internet and their ability to access the resource. Medium and avid users stated that the Internet played an important role in their lives and that they would be lost without it. This research explores the lived experience of older adults and the Internet, offering a better understanding of how the Internet impacts their lives and ability to maintain social inclusion. This research can inform policy around promoting the use of the Internet among older adults and whether it is necessary to focus efforts on bridging the digital divide. / February 2016

Studying older adults who are aging ‘successfully’ (i.e., avoiding disease/disability; maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning; engaging in meaningful interpersonal/social engagement) may offer insight into variables that contribute to cognitive change throughout the lifespan. Successful aging is related to levels of engagement, which may be promoted by the problem solving and reevaluation encouraged by the creative process (Fisher & Specht, 1999). Creative thinking requires the consideration of diverse concepts and strategies (e.g., generating many solutions), as well as the regulated filtering of these possibilities (e.g., neither too permissive nor too narrow when eliminating ideas; Baas, De Dreu, & Nijstad, 2011). Cognitive inhibition is necessary for goal-directed behavior, and may also promote creativity by influencing abilities such as plasticity and innovation. Performance on executive control tasks, especially those that draw on inhibition, are impacted by age. Performance on inhibitory (but not excitatory) tasks may be sensitive to arousal levels that fluctuate with circadian rhythm (synchrony effect). The current study examined performance on a variety of neuropsychological and creativity measures at two times of the day in a sample of successfully aging adults aged 70-79. Assessments of executive function, inhibition, and creativity (i.e., verbal and non-verbal divergent thinking) were administered to older adults twice, once at a time when inhibitory performance was expected to be ideal (synchronous) and another at a time when inhibitory performance was expected to be reduced (non-synchronous). We hypothesized that morning testing (synchronous) trials of inhibitory tasks would exhibit lower latency and error rates than evening testing (non-synchronous) trials; morning testing (synchronous) trials of creative potential tasks would exhibit lower fluency, flexibility, and originality scores than evening testing (non-synchronous) trials; and that Need For Cognition (NFC) scores and Information-Orientation ISI subscale scores would be positively correlated with overall (AM + PM) creativity scores (fluency, flexibility, originality). Participants were expected to demonstrate time of day effects on Stroop and TMT performance. Synchrony effects were not observed in this study. There was a significant relation between creative potential and Need for Cognition scores but not between creative potential and scores on the Information-Orientation subscale of the ISI. The current sample may have compensated with cognitive challenges such as those induced by testing time effects. These findings may suggest that a successfully-aging cohort is not impacted by synchrony effects. No previous research has used synchrony to compare aging trajectories (pathological, usual, successful) on cognitive performance. It is feasible that a successfully aging population would have significant cognitive reserve, brain reserve, or scaffolding strategies to compensate for the additional cognitive challenge of non-optimal testing time (Düzel, Schütze, Yonelinas, & Heinze, 2011; Reuter-Lorenz & Park, 2014). Indeed, a marker of successful aging is to compensate well with age-related changes and demonstrate minimal- to no- deficits in performance (Rowe & Kahn, 1997). Synchrony changes in cognitive performance may not be evident in a successfully aging population. The current study provides evidence that motivates intriguing questions about successful aging, inhibition, creativity, and time of day.

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