GSA 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting Vision impairment (VI) in older adults is associated with declines in well-being. However, the pathways through which poor vision leads to declines in well-being have not been well described. The purpose of this study was to de- termine whether activity limitations and social participation restrictions mediate the impact of self-reported VI on sub- jective well-being. This study used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally- representative longitudinal study of Medicare benefciaries 65 and older that includes detailed measures of the disable- ment process. We conceptualized a longitudinal mediation model linking self-reported VI and subjective well-being. Structural equation modeling was used to test the mediating effects of activity limitations and social participation re- strictions while adjusting for covariates. The fnal sample included 5,431 respondents. At baseline, 8.0% of Medicare benefciaries had self-reported VI. Subjective well-being scores were signifcantly lower among respondents with self- reported VI (15.7, 95% CI=15.2, 16.2) compared to those without VI (17.6, 95% CI=17.5, 17.7). Self-reported VI had a signifcant indirect effect on subjective well-being through limiting mobility (β=-.04, 95% CI=-.07, -.03) and household activities (β=-.05, 95% CI=-.08, -.03), but not self-care limi- tations (β=0.0, 95% CI=0.0, 0.0) or participation restrictions (β=0.0, 95% CI=-0.01, 0.00). Total indirect effects from all mediation paths accounted for 42% of the effect of VI on well-being. In conclusion, mobility and household activity limitations are signifcant mediators that explain a consid- erable portion of the impact of poor vision on well-being. Interventions to promote successful accommodation may re- sult in greater well-being for visually impaired older adults. SUBCLINICAL AGE-RELATED HEARING LOSS IS INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS Justin S. Golub, 1 Katharine K. Brewster, 2 Adam Brickman, 1 Adam Ciarleglio, 3 José Luchsinger, 1 and Bret Rutherford 1 , 1. Columbia University, New York, New York, United States, 2. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States, 3. George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Age-related hearing loss (HL), defned by a pure-tone average (PTA) >25 decibels (dB) has been associated with depressive symptoms. We aimed to assess whether this asso- ciation is present when hearing is better than the arbitrary, but widely-used, 25 dB threshold. The sampled population was the multicentered Hispanic Community Health Study (n=5,165). Cross-sectional data from 2008-2011 were avail- able. Hearing was measured with pure tone audiometry. Clinically-signifcant depressive symptoms (CSDS) were de- fned by a score ≥10 on the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). Participants’ mean age was 58.3 years (SD=6.2, range=50-76). Among those with classically-defned normal hearing (PTA ≤25 dB), a 10 dB in- crease in HL was associated with 1.26 times the odds (95% CI=1.11, 1.42) of CSDS, adjusting for age, gender, educa- tion, vascular disease, and hearing aid use (p25 dB; p<0.001). Results held even for a stricter HL cutpoint of 15 dB. Among subjects with strictly normal hearing (PTA ≤15 dB), a 10 dB increase in HL was associated with 1.47 (1.14, 1.90) times the odds of CSDS, adjusting for confounders (p<0.01). Results also held when defning CSDS by an alternative CESD-10 score ≥16. In conclusion, increasing hearing thresholds were independently associated with CSDS among adults with subclinical HL (PTA ≤25 dB). Studies investigating whether treating HL can prevent late life depression should consider a lower threshold for defning HL. SESSION 2500 (SYMPOSIUM) INTEREST GROUP SESSION—RURAL AGING: INNOVATIONS THAT SUPPORT RURAL OLDER ADULTS’ HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: MODELS, NETWORKS, CASE STUDIES, REFLECTIONS Chair: Roger O’Sullivan, Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Belfast & Dublin, Ireland Co-Chair: Lyn Holley, University of Nebraska, Omaha, United States Discussant: Marc A. Guest, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States Access of rural older people to health and wellness services is limited and becoming progressively more limited as trends toward increasing centralization of Government and private services continue. “Top-down” or urban centric models for rural service delivery often miss context essen- tial to effectiveness and sustainability. In this symposium, each presenter in this multidisciplinary group of researchers presents innovative, community-based interventions that address these challenges using different methodologies and in respect to different needs Maiden (Psychology) compares the utilization of mental health services by rural older adults over time with their need for such services. Through the lens of social gerontology Holley examines networks of support that have intersected successfully to generate local solutions to unmet needs of rural-dwelling older adults. Crowther and Ford within a nursing and care context explore community- based models that draw upon the role of culture to integrate care for rural older adults. Katz, from an adult development perspective, reports on an educational game-intervention developed to reduce cognitive decline which is tailored spe- cifcally for older adults in rural areas. Wiese presents evi- dence from a pilot home-based approach that demonstrates a model for increasing rates of AD detection and treatment in a rural retired farm worker community in Florida. Our discussant, an emerging scholar in the feld of rural geron- tology, will refect on the major themes that emerge from these multidisciplinary perspectives, especially the role of intersecting networks in community-based innovations and rural aging. CASES OF OPTIMALLY LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO UNMET NEEDS OF RURAL-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS: ROLES OF NESTED NETWORKS Lyn Holley, 1 Kara l. Kohel, 2 Holly Hatton-Bowers, 2 and Susan Harris-Broomfeld 2 , 1. University of Nebraska, Omaha, United States, 2. University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States Solutions developed top-down frequently make sub- optimal use of resources. Programs (e.g., caregiver res- pite) are studied extensively; study focused on the roles of nested networks (family/locality/state/nation) that 552 Innovation in Aging, 2019, Vol. 3, No. S1 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article-abstract/3/Supplement_1/S552/5618063 by guest on 27 May 2020