Despite societal perceptions of older adults as vulnerable, literature on resilience suggests that exposure to adversity and resources gained with life experience contribute to adaptation. One way to explore the nature of resilience is to document assets supporting adaptation. Interviews were conducted with older adults living in Canada at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic, September 2020-May 2021 (T1) and January-August 2022 (T2). Reflexive thematic analysis was completed to report on what older adults identified as assets and how they understood the value of those assets for resilience. Participants indicated that the potential value of their contributions went largely untapped at the level of the community but supported individual and household adaptation. In line with calls for an all-of-society approach to reduce disaster risk and support resilience, creating a culture of inclusivity that recognizes the potential contributions of older adults should be paired with opportunities for action.

The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of older medicinal cannabis consumers and those advising them on older Canadians' experiences accessing cannabis and information about it, as well as how stigma may influence their experiences. A concurrent triangulation mixed methods design was used. The design was qualitatively driven and involved conducting semi-structured interviews with older adults and advisors and developing a survey for older adults. We used a Qualitative Descriptive approach for the analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative survey data. Findings demonstrate that many older adults are accessing information about cannabis for medical purposes from retailers, either because they are reticent to talk to their healthcare professionals or were rebuffed when bringing up the subject. We recommend cannabis education be required for healthcare professionals working with older persons and that future research examines their perspectives on medicinal cannabis and older adults.

Supportive public policies are suggested as ways to lessen gentrification's impact for older adults. While explicit policies designed to help older adults with gentrification are rare, literature on age-friendly cities is a close proxy. We utilized three North American cases undergoing gentrification: New York City, NY, and Denver, CO, in the United States and Hamilton, in Ontario, Canada, to present existing neighbourhood-based policies as social determinants of health in housing, resource access, healthcare, transportation, and communal places. Age-friendly policy application gap examples and COVID-19's impact were included. Using a qualitative comparative case study method, we found policies were not specifically designed to address older adults' gentrification needs. With the call for age-friendly designations, the role of gentrification in neighbourhoods with older populations must be included. We call for gentrification-specific policies for older adults to provide greater safeguards especially when events such as COVID-19 compete for existing, over-stretched resources.

To improve transitions in care, a new patient navigation (PN) program was introduced to support older adults with complex care needs transition from hospital to home. The patient navigator is a community social worker embedded in the hospital's care teams. A cohort observational design was used to conduct the study by analysing the patient navigator's clinical notes and hospital's administrative data to describe the characteristics of patients, scope of the patient navigator's activities, and patient outcomes. Ninety patients were assigned to the patient navigator's caseload (November 2019-November 2021) in which the average age was 78.9 (range 55-95). The most frequent PN intervention types were referrals to community services (66%, = 59) and discharge planning (61%, = 55). The patient navigator supported 66% patients ( = 59) in returning home and provided follow-up care for 74 days (average). This study provides important insights into the patient navigator's role to guide decision makers in implementing PN programs for older adults in a hospital setting.

Canadians overwhelmingly do not want to live in long-term care institutions (LTCIs) when they age; yet many end up there for lack of home care, because family care partners burn out, or because they and their professional advisors are unaware of alternatives to institutions. Not only is institutional dementia care riven with problems, it segregates disabled people, thereby abrogating human rights. Because systemic ageism and ableism cloud seniors' care, institutions remain the default option for Canadians with dementia. Yet, decades of deinstitutionalization enabled younger disabled Canadians to live in the community with supports. Why not seniors? We describe a plethora of noninstitutional dementia-care alternatives. We then present a roadmap for considering all relevant care options in service plans, one that incorporates supported decision making by people with dementia. We propose a paradigm shift in how Canada serves its senior citizens - not just the current generation, but those to come, including ourselves.

Increasing rates of dementia in First Nations populations require culturally grounded approaches to dementia diagnosis and care. To respond to the need for a culturally appropriate cognitive assessment tool, a national team of health services researchers and community partners, guided by a Nakoda Advisory Group, aimed to adapt the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool for a Nakoda First Nation in Carry the Kettle First Nation, Saskatchewan, Canada. The adaptation of the CICA for a Nakoda First Nation community resulted in a slightly modified version of the CICA signalling that the CICA requires minimal adaptation to be used in different First Nations contexts.

We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of frailty screening using handgrip strength with gait speed measures within four primary care-based memory clinics in Ontario. This mixed methods quality improvement initiative examined the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of frailty screening from the perspective of patients ( = 216), care partners ( = 142), and healthcare providers ( = 9). Frailty screening was well-received by patients and care partners and perceived as quick and easy to administer and integrate into assessment processes by healthcare providers at all four memory clinics. The ease of integrating frailty screening into clinic processes was a key factor facilitating implementation; few challenges or suggestions for improvement were identified. All four clinics plan to continue frailty screening, three using the methods adopted in this study. Integrating frailty screening into memory assessments is feasible and acceptable and, given the interactional relationship between frailty and dementia, provides a significant opportunity to improve health outcomes for older adults.

We explored the relationship between neighbourhood and social participation among older adults using a Living Environments and Active Aging Framework. This prospective cohort study used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) with a 3-year follow-up. Three aspects of social participation were the outcomes; walkability and greenness at baseline were exposure variables. The sample consisted of 50.0% females (n=16,735, age 72.9± 5.6 years). In males, higher greenness was associated with lower loneliness and less variety in social activities. No significant associations between greenness and social participation were found in females. High walkability was related to a higher variety of social activity and higher loneliness in males but not females, and less desire for more social activity in both sexes. Greenness and walkability impact social participation among older adults. Future research should include sex and gender-based analyses.

Developing effective, sustainable strategies that promote social inclusion, reduce isolation, and support older adults' wellbeing continues to be important to aging communities in Canada. One strategy that targets community-living older adults involves identifying naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) and supporting them through supportive service programs (NORC-SSPs). This qualitative descriptive study utilized semi-structured interviews to explore how older adults living in a NORC supported by an SSP, sought to build, and maintain, a sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis revealed how changes in context prompted changes in the program and community, and how despite lack of in-person opportunities participants continued to be together and do occupations together in creative ways that supported their sense of community. NORC-SSPs, like Oasis, play an important role in supporting older adults' capacity to build strong, resilient communities that support wellbeing, during a global pandemic and in non-pandemic times.

The relationship between frailty and glycemic control in older adults with diabetes remains uncertain, mainly due to the fact that previous studies have not accounted for measures of body composition. In older adults with diabetes, we examined the association between three types of frailty measures and glycemic control, while accounting for fat-free mass (FFM) and waist circumference (WC). Eighty older adults (age ≥65, 27 women and 53 men, mean age 80.5 ± 0.6 years) had gait speed, Cardiovascular Health Study Index (CHSI), Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale (RCFS), and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hg) measured. Hg showed a negative association only with CHSI (standardized  = -0.255 ± 0.120, p = 0.038), but no association with gait speed or the RCFS. Even after accounting for FFM and WC, we demonstrated a negative association between glycated hemoglobin and increasing frailty in older adults with diabetes.

Age-related changes can affect mental health, but aging-focused mental health research is limited. The objective was to identify the top 10 unanswered research questions on aging and mental health according to what matters most to aging Canadians. A steering group of experts-by-experience (e.g., older adults, caregivers, health and social care providers) guided three phases of a modified James Lind Alliance priority-setting partnership: (1) a broad national survey ( = 305) and a rapid literature scan; (2) a follow-up national survey ( = 703); and (3) four online workshops ( = 52) with a nominal group technique. Forty-two unique questions on aging and mental health resulted, of which 18 were determined to be answered by existing evidence. Of the 25 partially and unanswered questions, 10 were ranked as top priority. Findings can be used to prioritize future research, knowledge mobilization, and funding decisions, and to promote and support collaboration between longstanding siloed research and care fields.

As demographics and gender norms shift, more older men will be providing care for their wives living with dementia than ever before. Research on husbands as caregivers is limited and offers an incomplete picture of their role development and how they experience caregiving. This study examined husbands whose wives have dementia and how they provide care and construct their sense of self. Semi-structured interviews with 11 men aged 61-88 were conducted in Ontario, Canada. Data were analyzed using constant comparison analysis and a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) approach. Two categories were developed: and Caregiving as a husband for a wife living with dementia required revision of the role of husband to include that of caregiver by reimaging intimacy, being a protector in new ways, and finding new meanings to being a provider and the value of wealth.

As Western society becomes increasingly digitally dependent and many older adults actively engage in the online world, understanding the experiences of those who largely do not use digital technology in their daily lives is crucial. Individual interviews were conducted (pre-pandemic) with 23 older adults who, based on self-identification, did not regularly use digital technology, exploring how their experiences as limited digital technology users may have impacted their daily lives. An iterative collaborative qualitative analysis demonstrated three main themes: internet concerns, frustrations with digital technology, and conflicting motivators to use digital technology. Findings suggest that addressing digital concerns and providing effective digital skill learning opportunities may encourage some older adults to become more digitally engaged. However, as people, including older adults, can be uninterested in using these technologies, organizations and institutions should work to offer ways to support people of all ages who are not engaged online.

This study provides researchers, practitioners, and policy makers with a profile of older adults' travel behaviour and the older adult population that reports unmet travel needs. In addition, we quantified associations between reporting an unmet travel need and measures of health and social connectedness. Data came from the second follow-up survey of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, collected from 2018 to 2021 (n = 14,167). Nine in ten (90.2%) older adults aged 65 years and older indicated that driving is the main way they get around. Older adults with an unmet travel need were more likely to be women, have lower household incomes and education levels, and have a mobility limitation. People with an unmet travel need had 2.7 times the odds of reporting fair or poor general health (OR = 2.66, 95% CI: 2.19, 3.22) and 3.1 times the odds of feeling socially isolated (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.57, 3.72) compared to those without an unmet need.

Functional decline following hospitalization remains an important problem in health care, especially for frail older adults. Modifiable factors related to reduction in harms of hospitalization are not well described. One particularly pervasive factor is emergency department (ED) boarding time; time waiting from decision to admit, until transfer to an in-patient medical unit. We sought to investigate how the functional status of frail older adults correlated with the length of time spent boarded in the ED. We found that patients who waited for 24 hours or more exhibited functional decline in both the Barthel Index and Hierarchical Assessment of Balance and Mobility and an increase in the Clinical Frailty Scale from discharge to 6 months post discharge. In conclusion, there is a need for additional investigation into ED focused interventions to reduce ED boarding time for this population or to improve access to specialized geriatric services within the ED.

Immigrant caregivers support the aging population, yet their own needs are often neglected. Mobile technology-facilitated interventions can promote caregiver health by providing easy access to self-care materials.

People living with dementia (PLWD) may want to participate in research, but the guidelines and processes enacted across various contexts may prohibit this from happening.

This study examined the associations between residential environment and self-rated mental health (SRMH) among Canadians aged 65 or older ( = 16,304) and whether education and gender moderated the associations. Data came from the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test the associations. Analyses revealed that increased dwelling size was associated with better SRMH among older women with high school education. Older adults with higher satisfaction with their dwelling design were more likely to report better SRMH, except for women with some college education. Feeling safer in the community was uniquely associated with better SRMH for men with high school education and women with a university degree. Results confirmed significant associations between specific home and residential environment features and SRMH for each gender-by-education group. Environmental programs designed to improve SRMH for older adult populations should consider within- and between-group diversity.

In this article, we apply a gender-based analysis plus framework to research the housing experiences of older, low-income adults living and aging in Hamilton. Low-income older adults with intersectional identities are at risk of not aging in place due to marginalization and housing instability.

This study tested the hypothesis that within older Barbadian adults, sex, education, and occupation type lessen age-related cognitive decline. The analyses used a cross-sectional data set from 1325 people collected in the 2006 SABE Study (Health, Well-being, and Aging). Cognition was assessed as scores in each subdomain of the Mini-Mental State Exam. The loss of a single point in each subdomain was predicted by sex, years of education, job type, and their interactions with age. Results demonstrated that age and protective factors affect each cognitive domain differently. High education combined with mentally complex employment helped maintain cognitive performance in later life. Beneficial lifetime exposures are additive, providing combined benefits. Findings provide insight into public policy aiming to minimize the number of adults with cognitive decline and dementia in Barbados and the Caribbean.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges to older adults in Canada, including the ability to volunteer. The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of the social context surrounding volunteering in Canada, by (a) determining changes in associations between human, social, and cultural capital and volunteering among older adults; and (b) examining the relationship between ethnic minority status and volunteering, using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), collected prior to and during the pandemic. This study utilized data from 24,306 CLSA Baseline, Follow-up 1 (FUP1), and COVID-19 Baseline Survey participants (aged 55+). Results confirm a decrease in volunteering during the early stages of the pandemic. Compared to pre-pandemic associations, volunteers during the early stages of the pandemic were more likely to be young-old, male, employed, and not involved in religious activities. Findings provide evidence of pandemic effects on volunteering among older adults in Canada.