A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from a prospective cohort study to investigate whether frailty is associated with pain intensity, disability caused by low back pain (LBP), and quality of life in an older population with acute non-specific LBP. Six hundred and two individuals with a mean age of 67.6 (standard deviation [SD] 7.0) years were included in the analysis. In relation to frailty status, 21.3 per cent of the sample were classified as robust, 59.2 per cent were classified as pre-frail, and 19.5 per cent were classified as frail. In the unadjusted analysis, pre-frail and frail groups showed significantly higher pain and disability scores than the robust group. Moreover, the same two groups exhibited lower scores in both physical and mental domains of quality of life than the robust group. After adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical variables, disability scores and the physical component of quality of life were significantly associated with frailty. In older adults with acute LBP, frailty is associated with more disability and worse scores in the physical component of quality of life.

The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) and its short form (GAI-SF) are self-reported scales used internationally to assess anxiety symptoms in older adults. In this study, we conducted the first critical comprehensive review of these scales’ psychometric properties. We rated the quality of 31 relevant studies with the COSMIN checklist. Both the GAI and GAI-SF showed adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Convergent validity indices were highest with generalized anxiety measures; lowest with instruments relating to somatic symptoms. We detected substantial overlap with depression measures. While there was no consensus on the GAI’s factorial structure, we found the short version to be unidimensional. Although we found good sensitivity and specificity for detecting anxiety, cut-off scores varied. The GAI and GAI-SF are relevant instruments showing satisfactory psychometric properties; to broaden their use, however, some psychometric properties warrant closer examination. This review calls attention to weaknesses in the methodological quality of the studies.

Psychological resources can help individuals adjust to changes associated with aging. In this study, we examined the effect of demographic, health, and psychological resource variables in explaining driving status among adults 55 years and older. A convenience sample of 222 adults between the ages of 55 and 91 years (mean = 72.20 years) completed questionnaires that included measures of driving status, self-rated health, and psychological resources (e.g., life control, life purpose, and locus of control). Multiple logistic regression models that controlled for confounders were constructed with driver status (i.e., current driver or former driver) as the outcome. Former drivers were older, reported being in poorer health, and reported more depression symptoms. After controlling for age and health, current drivers reported higher levels of life control and life purpose and a more internal locus of control. Results highlight the importance of considering psychological resources when examining driving cessation.

Older persons experiencing a longer length of stay (LOS) or delayed discharge (DD) may see a decline in their health and well-being, generating significant costs. This review aimed to identify evidence on the impact of cognitive impairment (CI) on acute care hospital LOS/DD. A scoping review of studies examining the association between CI and LOS/DD was performed. We searched six databases; two reviewers independently screened references until November 2019. A narrative synthesis was used to answer the research question; 58 studies were included of which 33 found a positive association between CI and LOS or DD, 8 studies had mixed results, 3 found an inverse relationship, and 14 showed an indirect link between CI-related syndromes and LOS/DD. Thus, cognitive impairment seemed to be frequently associated with increased LOS/DD. Future research should consider CI together with other risks for LOS/DD and also focus on explaining the association between the two.

The purpose of this study was to update our understandings of older adults’ experiences and perceptions of alcohol use. Taking a community-based research approach, three Knowledge Café workshops hosted 66 older adults and service providers in Vancouver, BC. Thematic analysis identified three overarching categories: (a) reasons older adults use alcohol, including out of habit, social expectations, or to self-medicate; (b) personal experiences of alcohol use, including reduced consumption over time as a result of the cost of alcohol, the physical effects, and increased knowledge about the effects of alcohol; and (c) older adults’ perceptions of alcohol use outcomes, including positive outcomes from drinking in moderation and negative outcomes that can worsen one’s health, lead to tolerance, and harm others. Developing and promoting healthy drinking behaviours in later life is needed as the general population continues to age.

We present the development of a regional dementia strategy in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. We worked with stakeholders in a regional health authority to develop a dementia strategy. We conducted interviews with persons with dementia and their care partners (n = 26) and health care administrators and policy makers (n = 33); and administered a priority-setting survey (n = 64). Both participant groups identified provider compassion, professionalism, and care in the early stages of dementia as system strengths. Both groups also highlighted a need for more integration and coordination, a need for more person-centred care, support for care partners, and more flexibility in the provision and receipt of services. The highest-ranked priorities were improving care partner support, improving access to care, and improving system-wide quality. We integrate these strengths, needs, and priorities in a strategic framework, “Whole Person, Whole Journey”. Organizations developing a dementia strategy may use this framework as a springboard for their own work.

Based on findings from a study examining the lived experiences of dementia carers in their neighbourhoods, this article offers a vision of what dementia-friendly communities could look like from a carer perspective and in a Canadian context. Twelve carers in Ottawa and its surrounding regions were interviewed using a combination of social network maps, mobile interviews, and participant-driven photography. The findings, organized according to the categories “relationships”, “places”, and “everyday practices”, reveal that many of the carers’ choices regarding businesses, services, home location, outings, and everyday practices, are based on a desire to maintain social connections and social citizenship. The article concludes with recommendations for consideration in the planning of dementia-friendly neighbourhood initiatives.

This article uses findings from qualitative interviews to examine the experiences of members of Saskatoon’s Chinese-Canadian older-adult community in terms of their realities of aging and access to important geriatric resources. Promoting an understanding of both group experience and a broader conceptualization of age-friendly development, we argue that the notion and implications of a spatial ethnic enclave are replaced in the Saskatoon context by a social enclave. This network of social support is evident in Chinese-Canadian older adults’ access to housing, recreation, transportation, and health services. The article concludes with lessons learned that would help enhance culturally pluralistic age-friendly development. This work underlines the significance of social capital development within more marginalized older-adult communities, both as a reaction to outside discrimination, and as a means of ensuring healthy and inclusive community aging.

Public libraries are community hubs that can both create opportunities and address challenges often associated with later life and population aging. Using a thematic analysis of 18 in-depth interviews with public librarians, this study investigates common practices and challenges experienced while developing programs for older adults. This analysis is augmented by an environmental scan of older-adult programming offered in member libraries of the Canadian Urban Library Council (CULC). Results indicate that public librarians leverage community partnerships and staff training to develop programs that foster digital, financial, language, and health literacy and create opportunities for both intergenerational and peer social connection. At the same time, they face challenges related to limited space, budgets, and staff capacity, difficulty meeting the extensive and often conflicting interests of various groups within the library, and marketing programming to older adults. Findings indicate that public libraries may be key players in mitigating challenges often associated with having an aging population, and indeed highlight the many benefits of valuing and providing services to this population.

Previous studies suggest that intergroup contact has a positive effect on older workers’ perception of ageism and satisfaction. This study aims at assessing such relationships amongst Canadian younger workers. Precisely, in light of the intergroup contact theory (ICT), it was first hypothesized that a positive perception of intergenerational workplace climate (IWC) and knowledge sharing practices (KSP) increase younger workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors targeting older peers. Second, it was hypothesized that such awareness has a positive effect on young workers’ level of satisfaction. Relying on a cross-sectional design composed of 612 participants, path analysis was conducted. Findings suggest that whereas KSP increases younger workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors towards older workers, this is not the case for IWC. On the other hand, both IWC and KSP have a direct and positive impact on younger workers’ level of satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.

Systematic, in-depth exploration of news media coverage of aggression and older adults remains sparse, with little attention to how and why particular frames manifest in coverage across differing settings and relationships. Frame analysis was used to analyze 141 English-language Canadian news media articles published between 2008 and 2019. Existing coverage tended towards stigmatizing, fear-inducing, and biomedical framings of aggression, yet also reflected and reinforced ambiguity, most notably around key differences between settings and relations of care. Mainstream news coverage reflects tensions in public understandings of aggression and older adults (e.g., as a medical or criminal issue), reinforced in particular ways because of the nature of news reporting. More nuanced coverage would advance understanding of differences among settings, relationships, and types of actions, and of the need for multifaceted prevention and policy responses based on these differences.

Following Canadian estimates of frailty, academic researchers and the Chiefs of Ontario came together to create the first Ontario-wide profile of aging in First Nations people in Ontario. Using self-reported data from First Nations adults who participated in the Ontario First Nations Regional Health Survey Phase 2, we found that First Nations people in Ontario experience higher rates of frailty than the general Canadian population and early onset frailty appears to affect First Nations communities. This is important to consider as communities plan for health care needs of an aging population and is particularly relevant in the face of Covid-19, as we know severity is exacerbated by underlying health conditions.