Patient and Caregiver Goals for Dementia Care
To elicit patient-centered goals for dementia care, this qualitative study relies on focus groups of people with early-stage dementia and dementia caregivers.
Publications
The publications below were produced through research projects in the RAND Center for the Study of Aging.
2019
2018
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Cognitive Ability, Personality, and Pathways to Retirement: An Exploratory Study
This paper explores the utility of two prominent psychological variables - cognitive ability and personality - as predictors, while also substantially expanding the detail with which retirement pathways can be characterized.
2017
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Secular Trends in Dementia and Cognitive Impairment of U.S. Rural and Urban Older Adults
The higher risk of dementia among U.S. rural adults compared with their urban peers highlight the importance of public health planning for more rapidly aging rural communities.
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Changing Structures and Processes to Support Family Caregivers of Seriously Ill Patients
Fundamental changes are needed in the way we identify, assess, and support family caregivers of seriously ill relatives.
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Patient-Reported Outcome–Based Performance Measures for Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions
RAND analysts tested performance measures of health-related quality of life to validate the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item (PROMIS-29) profile instrument in a geriatric population and to develop a better understanding of the practical use of patient-reported outcome–based performance measures in a geriatric population, especially people with multiple chronic conditions.
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Changes in Spending and Labor Supply in Response to a Social Security Benefit Cut: Evidence from Stated Choice Data
The results of this study provide unique information on individuals' responses to a Social Security reform that would implement a 30 percent cut in benefits.
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Racial/Ethnic Differences in Receipt of Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination Among Long-Stay Nursing Home Residents
Despite a 2005 CMS mandate that all nursing home residents be offered the influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations, racial/ethnic disparities persist.
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Distribution of Lifetime Nursing Home Use and of Out-of-Pocket Spending
By following individuals over many years as they progress to advanced old age, we estimated how many days individuals will spend in nursing homes and how much they will spend out-of-pocket.
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Personality and Employment Transitions at Older Ages: Direct and Indirect Effects Through Non-Monetary Job Characteristics
We assess the extent to which personality traits are directly associated with labor force transitions at older ages and moderate the effect of non-monetary job characteristics on retirement decisions.
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Infection Trends in US Nursing Homes, 2006–2013
The Minimum Data Set can help to identify trends in nursing home infections but nursing homes vary in how they define and track infections.
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Designing Cash Transfer Programs for an Older Population: The Mexican Case
Simulation of means testing benefit schemes showing beneficial effects on poverty and income inequality. Validated with data from a field experiment in Yucatan, Mexico, the simulations provide a good forecast of observed effects in the experiment.
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Improving Support for America's Hidden Heroes: A Research Blueprint
In this report, RAND researchers describe elements of a research blueprint to inform future efforts to improve support for military and veteran caregivers. To construct this blueprint, researchers inventoried research and gathered stakeholder input. The report highlights the need for more studies that examine how military and veteran caregiver needs evolve over time, how programs are working, and how caregiving affects specific subgroups.
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The Hispanic Paradox: Race/Ethnicity and Nativity, Immigrant Enclave Residence and Cognitive Impairment Among Older US Adults
Hispanics, and particularly foreign-born Mexican Americans, have been shown to fare better across a range of health outcomes than might be expected given the generally higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in this population, a phenomena termed the "Hispanic Paradox". Previous research on social disparities in cognitive aging, however, has been unable to address both race/ethnicity and nativity (REN) in a nationally-representative sample of US adults leaving unanswered questions about potentially "paradoxical" advantages of Mexican ethnic-origins and the role of nativity, socioeconomic status (SES), and enclave residence.
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Isolation Precautions Use for Multidrug-Resistant Organism Infection in Nursing Homes
To examine factors associated with isolation precaution use in nursing home (NH) residents with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection.
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Household Retirement Saving: The Location of Savings Between Spouses
Investigates how households locate contributions across tax deferred savings accounts that are nominally held in one spouse's name and how these decisions may impact accumulated assets.
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Drawing Down Retirement Wealth: Interactions between Social Security Wealth and Private Retirement Savings
Uses Health and Retirement Study survey data matched to Social Security administrative data to study how households integrate Social Security benefits into their general retirement income plans.
2016
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Push or Pull: Changes in the Relative Risk and Growth of Entrepreneurship Among Older Households
Entrepreneurship among older adults is on the rise, especially in households with greater access to income from interest, dividends, and capital gains.
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Differences in Nursing Home Quality Between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare Patients
Researchers found little difference in the quality of nursing home care provided to Medicare enrollees in managed care and those enrolled in traditional fee-for-service nursing homes.
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Benefits and Earnings Losses for Permanently Disabled Workers in California: Trends Through the Great Recession and Effects of Recent Reforms
Following California's 2012 bill to enact major reforms to the state workers' compensation system, RAND researchers assess trends in earnings loss and permanent partial disability benefits between 2005 and 2012, including analysis of the Great Recession's impact on outcomes for injured workers, and examine how the reforms might affect injury compensation going forward.
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Populations and Interventions for Palliative and End-of-Life Care: A Systematic Review
This evidence review found that palliative care improves outcomes for cancer, dementia, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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Disability Benefit Generosity and Labor Force Withdrawal
A key component for estimating the optimal size and structure of disability insurance (DI) programs is the elasticity of DI claiming with respect to benefit generosity.
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Prevalence and Patterns of Health Risk Behaviors of Palestinian Youth: Findings from a Representative Survey
Investigates the prevalence and patterns of risk behaviors as well as of mental health, perceptions of the risks of such behaviors, and the factors increasing vulnerability to as well as protection from engagement in them.
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Costs of Extending the Noncontributory Pension Program for Elderly: The Mexican Case
This article reviews a non-contributory pension program introduced in Mexico in 2007 that has since expanded greatly.
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Ownership of a Bank Account and Health of Older Hispanics
Study of health effects of financial inclusion, particularly ownership of a bank account of older minorities, with focus on Hispanics.
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Aging Well: Observations from the Women's Health Initiative Study
The purpose of this article is to review contemporary theoretical and conceptual perspectives on aging well and describe indicators of aging well that reflect key concepts and perspectives as assessed in the Women's Health Initiative.