Aging workers represent an emerging, growing, and essential population for the contemporary labour market. Considering their unique characteristics, these individuals are at risk of experiencing periods of disability at work due to different reasons (e.g., chronic diseases, occupational injuries) and a different return-to-work experience compared to younger workers. The scoping review presented in this article aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to returning to work in aging people who suffered a health impairment. Information from 34 manuscripts was extracted and analyzed, enabling the identification of factors hindering and facilitating the return to work of aging individuals, with regard to four systems: the individual, work, health, and compensation. The results suggest levers accessible to the various stakeholders involved in the process of returning to work for aging individuals to promote their healthy, safe, and satisfactory participation in work after a period of disability.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors at various time points in life that are associated with surviving to age 90. Data from men enrolled in a cohort study since 1948 were considered in 12-year intervals. Logistic regression models were constructed with the outcome of surviving to age 90. Factors were: childhood illness, blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), chronic diseases, and electrocardiogram (ECG) findings. After 1996, the Short Form-36 was added. A total of 3,976 men were born in 1928 or earlier, and hence by the end of our study window in 2018, each had the opportunity of surviving to age 90. Of these, 721 did live to beyond his 90th birthday.The factors in 1948 which predicted surviving were: lower diastolic BP, lower BMI, and not smoking. In 1960, these factors were: lower BP, lower BMI, not smoking, and no major ECG changes. In 1972, these factors were lower BP, not smoking, and fewer disease states. In 1984, these factors were lower systolic BP, not smoking, ECG changes, and fewer disease states. In 1996, the factors were fewer disease states and higher physical and mental health functioning. In 2008, only higher physical functioning predicted survival to the age of 90. In young adulthood, risk factors are important predictors of surviving to age 90; in mid-life, chronic illnesses emerge, and in later life, functional status becomes predominant.

Passive remote monitoring is a relatively new technology that may support older adults to age in place. However, current knowledge about the effectiveness of this technology in extending older adults’ independence is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review of studies examining passive remote monitoring to systematically synthesize evidence about the technology’s effectiveness as an intervention. Our initial search of Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus databases identified 486 unique articles. Of these, 14 articles met our inclusion criteria. Results show that passive remote monitoring technologies are being used in innovative and diverse ways to support older adults aging in place and their caregivers. More high-quality research on this topic is needed.

Les personnes âgées atteintes de troubles neurocognitifs (démences) vivant en centre d’hébergement adoptent fréquemment des comportements réactifs qui limitent leur engagement dans des occupations. La présente étude vise à identifier des moyens d’intervention centrés sur l’engagement des personnes âgées ayant un trouble neurocognitif avec l’environnement humain et non humain en centre d’hébergement afin de diminuer leurs comportements réactifs, en particulier les comportements d’errance, d’apathie et d’agitation. Cette revue de la portée est basée sur la méthode proposée par Levac et ses collaborateurs (2010). Parmi les 21 études retenues, la plupart s’intéressent à des interventions ciblant l’environnement non humain (n=9) ou ciblant simultanément l’environnement humain et non humain (n=9). Plusieurs de ces interventions sont efficaces pour diminuer les comportements réactifs et permettent aux personnes âgées de s’engager avec leur environnement. Le support de l’environnement humain semble toutefois nécessaire à l’utilisation optimale de plusieurs interventions.

L’objectif de cette étude était d’introduire un processus de traduction et de validation de l’Ambivalent Ageism Scale en français. L’Ambivalent Ageism scale (AAS) est la première échelle de mesure qui prend en compte l’âgisme bienveillant. Notre étude a suivi trois grandes étapes : la traduction, l’enquête et la validation. L’enquête transversale a été réalisée auprès d’étudiants de master en Sciences de la santé publique de la Faculté de santé publique de l’UClouvain lors de l’année académique 2019–2020 : sur 544 inscrits, 111 étudiants ont participé. L’échantillon était majoritairement composé de professionnels de la santé, avec un âge moyen de 31,47 ans (écart type = 7,48 ans). En conclusion, la version française de l’AAS est composée de douze items et est subdivisée en trois nouveaux facteurs : la surprotection (six items), l’infantilisation (quatre items) et le contrôle (deux items) auprès des personnes âgées. La nouvelle mesure de l’âgisme paternaliste (MAP) est une échelle de mesure simple et courte qui identifie des stéréotypes et des attitudes paternalistes à l’égard des personnes âgées.

Access to affordable housing is a rising concern, and social housing is one approach to support low-income, older renters. A scoping review was undertaken to understand the characteristics of older tenants and social housing services to identify strategies to promote aging in place. Seven peer review databases were searched to identify relevant articles. A total of 146 articles were included. Almost all examined socio-demographic and health characteristics of older tenants, while 72 per cent examined social housing services, including eligibility policies, staffing, and access to on-site services. This review points to a high vulnerability among older tenants and highlights the importance of co-locating services on-site with a tenant-facing support staff to identify vulnerable tenants and link them to services. More research on tenancy issues (e.g., unit condition, rental management) is needed to identify new opportunities for social housing landlords to help older tenants age in place.

Limited research exists on the experiences of older adults participating in community rehabilitation. Our longitudinal, collective case study explored older adults’ experiences while they engaged in community rehabilitation and home care services, as well as family caregivers’ concurrent experiences. Drawing on interpretive description, we inductively analysed interview data gathered at three points over 3–6 months from six family dyads. Questions focused on activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living and other meaningful activities affected by changes in the older adult’s health. From our thematic analysis, three themes emerged: (a) Centring community rehabilitation and home care services around the older adult and family; (b) Understanding the intricate interface of formal and informal supports; and (c) Supporting the meaningful aspects of life. Our findings suggest a metaphor of re-braiding, a reconfiguration of activities that requires increased integration of formal and informal supports within home care and community rehabilitation.

Anxiety is common in long-term care (LTC), but it is unclear which anxiety detection tools are accurate when compared to a reference standard for residents of LTC. Four databases and grey literature sources were searched using the search concepts “anxiety” and “LTC”. Included studies evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of an anxiety detection tool compared to a reference standard in LTC residents. Diagnostic accuracy measures were extracted. Four articles out of 4,620 met the inclusion criteria. Despite limited evidence and poorly reported study procedures and characteristics, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (sensitivity: 90.0%, specificity: 86.2%) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (sensitivity: 90.0%, specificity: 80.6%) had the best performance when detecting generalized anxiety disorder. We identified four anxiety detection tools appropriate for use in LTC; a critical first step to diagnosing and managing anxiety in residents of LTC. Non-generalized anxiety disorders and tool feasibility must be further evaluated.

Le Québec présente le taux de prescriptions d’antipsychotiques le plus élevé chez les personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus au Canada. La démarche « Optimiser les pratiques, les usages, les soins et les services – antipsychotiques » (OPUS-AP) vise à pallier cet enjeu. Étant donné ses premiers résultats prometteurs, notre étude visait à identifier les déterminants de son succès. Elle repose sur un devis d’étude de cas regroupant une analyse documentaire et 21 entrevues auprès d’acteurs clés impliqués dans l’implantation. Les résultats mettent en lumière cinq déterminants centraux : 1) une démarche intégrée, collaborative et probante; 2) des communications et des réseaux au service de la démarche; 3) un climat d’implantation favorable aux changements; 4) un engagement et une implication des parties prenantes; et 5) une stratégie d’application des connaissances intégrée et appuyée. Des défis et recommandations pour assurer la pérennisation et la mise à l’échelle d’OPUS-AP et inspirer des démarches similaires sont identifiés.

Theories of adult development and aging suggest that older adults turn towards religion and spirituality (R/S) to increase meaning and purpose in life, and to assist in coping with adverse experience. We sought to examine the relationship between R/S and positive mental health and mental illness (i.e., psychological distress) in adulthood, and to determine the potential moderating role of age. Data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health (CCHS-MH), a national population health study, were used. A multivariable linear regression model revealed a significant R/S by age interaction for positive mental health (p = 0.001). Although R/S was associated with positive mental health among all participants, there was a stronger relationship between R/S and positive mental health for older adults. No statistically significant relationship between R/S and psychological distress was observed. Findings highlight the importance of R/S to positive mental health across the adult lifespan. The differential relationships among R/S, positive mental health, and mental illness underscore the utility of using the dual-continua of mental health and mental illness in order to understand their respective determinants.

Reliable treatment burden measures are needed given the aging population and the associated increase in multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Treatment burden is defined as the effort to care for one’s health and the resulting impact on one’s daily life. This study aimed to translate the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire (MTBQ) for French-Canadians and assess its reliability and validity. The MTBQ was translated and tested with cognitive debriefing interviews, and the French version (MTBQ-F) was then administered 2 times among 105 participants. Reliability and validity were examined using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Cronbach’s alpha, and Spearman’s correlations. The median global MTBQ-F scores were 32.69 (interquartile range [IQR]: 21.15-48.08) and 30.77 (IQR: 21.15-46.15) for the first and second administrations, respectively. Test-retest (ICC: 0.73; 95% CI: 0.63-0.81) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.80) were good. There was a moderate positive correlation between the MTBQ-F score and the number of self-reported conditions (rho: 0.28). This valid instrument could identify patients experiencing a high treatment burden and assess the impact of interventions among them.

Most seniors in Canada live at home and consistently indicate that they prefer to stay there for as long as possible. Consequently, this desire places increasing pressure on supports such as informal caregivers and community services. The current rapid review set out to examine the psychosocial aspects of aging and dying in place that point to gaps in programs and services to support this preference. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed entries, and identified 42 articles for analysis, which we charted on a form we created and tested. Lack of attention to the whole person, lack of preparation for the journey ahead, and difficulties establishing collaborative and trusting relationships were, broadly, the challenges identified. A blend of initiatives in the community combined with an integrated palliative approach to care may mitigate some of the challenges that limit options for aging and dying in place.

To document the reactions and experiences of older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have conducted a qualitative study of 25 older adults (50 years of age and older) throughout the pandemic, using serial interviewing methods. This analysis reports on the data collected from the first two rounds of interviews – one conducted in the summer of 2020 and one conducted in the fall of 2020. Our thematic analysis found eight major themes: thoughts on the dangers of the pandemic, how the virus has changed daily life (including social life), health care during COVID (being a caregiver, losing a loved one, seeking health care), missing spontaneity and dealing with existential dread, the growing frustration, seeking connection through civic participation, adaptation and resilience, and the social ills that the pandemic has revealed. These stories describe both loneliness and connection, hope coupled with disappointment, but overwhelmingly, an insight into what the pandemic has shown us about the social ills that it has revealed.

With increasing numbers of persons living with dementia and their higher rates of hospitalizations, it is necessary to ensure they receive appropriate and effective acute care; yet, acute care environments are often harmful for persons with dementia. There is a lack of dementia education for acute health care providers in Canada. Scotland presently delivers a dementia education program for health care providers, known as the Scottish National Dementia Champions Programme. The objective of this Policy and Practice Note is to present the collaborative work of Scottish experts and Canadian stakeholders to adapt the Dementia Champions Programme for use in Canada. This work to date includes: (a) an environmental scan of Canadian dementia education for acute health care providers; (b) key informant interviews; and, (c) findings from a two-day planning meeting. The results of this collaborative work can and are being used to inform the next steps to develop and pilot a Canadian dementia education program.

Malgré l’attention renouvelée de plusieurs médias sur la question des risques liés à la COVID-19 au sein de diverses communautés marginalisées au Québec, nous entendons encore très peu parler des personnes âgées immigrantes et de leurs proches. Dans cette note sur les politiques et pratiques, nous aborderons l’expérience du contexte pandémique chez les personnes âgées immigrantes montréalaises et leurs réseaux. Nous présenterons d’abord quelques données sociodémographiques sur les immigrants âgés montréalais. Nous exposerons ensuite nos constats sur les impacts de la COVID-19 sur les personnes âgées immigrantes, en particulier en ce qui concerne l’accès aux soins de la santé et aux services sociaux, la proche-aidance, l’emploi et le logement, à partir de nos travaux et de la littérature en gérontologie sociale. Nous terminerons en proposant quelques recommandations qui permettraient d’améliorer l’inclusion sociale des personnes âgées immigrantes et de leurs proches, autant en matière de politiques publiques que de pratiques sur le terrain.