Reactions and Preferences for Training Among Area Agency on Aging Providers Working With Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults.

Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) older adults face numerous barriers to healthy aging. These older adults may be less likely to seek out aging-focused services due to fear of discrimination and a lack of culturally competent services. There is a dearth of trainings for aging-focused professionals that would contribute to the development of affirming service environments for TGNC older adults. The current study explores providers' responses to a professional development training made available nationwide to staff and volunteers of area agencies on aging. Participants' (N = 155) reflections on what would be most helpful in their future work with TGNC older adults included requests for role-plays, instructions on creating more inclusive agency documents, increased contact with TGNC older adults, and managing discriminatory language in the workplace. Future directions include creating professional development opportunities that incorporate experiences with and exposure to both other aging-focused providers and TGNC elders.

Intergenerational Ambivalence and Dyadic Strain: Understanding Stress in Family Care Partners of Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: The present study used Pearlin, Mullan, Semple & Skaff's (1990) caregiving stress process model as a framework to examine the comparative influence of two stressors: (a) intergenerational ambivalence as a unified construct and (b) dyadic strain, which is one isolated component of intergenerational ambivalence. METHODS: Participants were 120 women providing healthcare and medication assistance to an earlier generation family member with physical and/or cognitive impairments. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression confirmed that intergenerational ambivalence explained perceived stress in family care partners, beyond the variance accounted for by other commonly reported stressors such as length of caregiving experience, memory/cognitive and functional impairments of the care recipient, caregiver overload, family conflict and financial strain. Further analyses revealed that examining dyadic strain apart from intergenerational ambivalence may more accurately explain the influence of ambivalence scores on care partners' perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The comparative influence of dyadic strain versus ambivalence suggests that stress-reducing interventions may benefit from a focus on reducing care partners' experiences of negative strain in the dyadic relationship rather than managing ambivalence.

Medication Saving Behaviors of Older Adults: Scale Developed to Assess Family Caregiver Perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: This study developed and explored the preliminary reliability and validity of a 6-item Medication Saving Behaviors (MSB) scale when completed by family care partners of older adults. METHODS: Women (N = 119) helping an aging relative with healthcare appointments and medication management completed an online survey including items related to generalized hoarding and medication saving behaviors. RESULTS: The MSB was psychometrically sound and correlated significantly with hoarding scales and reported number of expired and leftover medications. Compared with those reporting low levels of general hoarding concerns, group means on the MSB were higher for caregivers reporting clinically significant levels of hoarding by their elderly family member. The MSB was unrelated to total prescription or over-the-counter medications for the older adult, lending support for the discriminant validity of the scale. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides initial support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the MSB when administered to intergenerational care partners of older adults. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The MSB may function to identify higher risk patients via their family members and target families for interventions.