Les difficultés cognitives consécutives aux troubles neurocognitifs majeurs (TNCM) engendrent des enjeux dans la réalisation d’activités de la vie quotidienne. Ce projet visait à identifier auprès des proches aidants et des intervenants des situations nécessitant des méthodes optimisant l’apprentissage pour faciliter l’engagement de personnes vivant avec un TNCM dans leurs activités de la vie quotidienne. Des entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées, d’une durée de 60 à 90 minutes, ont été menées auprès de proches aidants et d’intervenants. Les résultats montrent que les activités quotidiennes et domestiques sont notamment affectées par les difficultés à repérer ou à utiliser les objets, à garder en tête la tâche en cours, à mettre en séquences des étapes, à ne pas se laisser distraire par autre chose et à constater ses difficultés pour s’y adapter. Les proches aidants souhaitent du soutien dans l’application des méthodes optimisant l’apprentissage pour contribuer au maintien de l’autonomie des personnes vivant avec un TNCM.

A scoping review was conducted to identify patterns, effects, and interventions to address social isolation and loneliness among community-dwelling older adult populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also integrated (1) data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) and (2) a scan of Canadian grey literature on pandemic interventions. CLSA data showed estimated relative increases in loneliness ranging between 33 and 67 per cent depending on age/gender group. International studies also reported increases in levels of loneliness, as well as strong associations between loneliness and depression during the pandemic. Literature has primarily emphasized the use of technology-based interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness. Application of socio-ecological and resilience frameworks suggests that researchers should focus on exploring the wider array of potential pandemic age-friendly interventions (e.g., outdoor activities, intergenerational programs, and other outreach approaches) and strength-based approaches (e.g., building community and system-level capacity) that may be useful for reducing social isolation and loneliness.

Community support services are an integral enabler of aging in place. In social housing, older adult tenants struggle to access these services because of the siloed nature of housing and health services. This study examined the provision of government-funded community support services to 83 seniors’ social housing buildings in Toronto, Ontario. Although there were 56 different agencies operating within the buildings, only about one third of older tenants were actually receiving services. There was a subset of services that were available in more than 80 per cent of the buildings, and the most widely accessed services were food supports, crisis intervention, transportation, caregiver support, and hearing/vision care. There were also many cases in which multiple agencies offered duplicative services within the same building, suggesting that there are opportunities for improving service coordination. Practice recommendations for increasing access to community support services among low-income older adults in social housing are provided.

International studies have demonstrated associations between sleep problems and poor psychological well-being; however, Canadian data are limited. This study investigated this association using cross-sectional baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a national survey of 30,097 community-dwelling adults, 45–85 years of age. Short sleep duration, sleep dissatisfaction, insomnia symptoms, and daytime impairment were consistently associated with a higher prevalence of dissatisfaction with life, psychological distress, and poor self-reported mental health. Long sleep duration was associated with a higher prevalence of psychological distress and poor self-reported mental health, but not with dissatisfaction with life. Associations between sleep problems and psychological distress were 11–18 per cent stronger in males. With each 10-year increase in age, the association between daytime impairment and life dissatisfaction increased by 11 per cent, and insomnia symptoms and poor mental health decreased by 11 per cent. Sleep problems in middle-aged and older adults warrant increased attention as a public health problem in Canada.

Although the physical environment can influence people’s activity, there are few knowledge syntheses for indoor environments and older adults’ daily life routines. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed evidence to inform future research and practice. Inclusion criteria were studies with any research designs, across all years and languages focused on older adults 60 years of age or more, on physical activity/sedentary behaviour and the indoor environment. After searching five databases, two authors completed title/abstract and full-text screening. The last search was on December 19, 2020. We screened 1,367 citations, and included 23 studies situated in private or collective dwellings (e.g., assisted living). We identified physical activity-supportive indoor features across three domains: campus (e.g., amenities, pathways), building (e.g., area, floor level), and fixtures (e.g., elevators, hallways). Knowledge of indoor environmental factors for older adults’ engagement in daily activities can guide future research and policy on housing design.

Few studies examine care as a relational process in long-term care, and still fewer describe the participation of residents with dementia. In this article, our objective was to understand the development of knowledge in this area by means of a meta-ethnography. Our search and selection process resulted in six eligible articles. Each documents a qualitative study of resident–staff interactions during care activities in a residential care setting, and includes participants with dementia. Tronto’s 4 Phases of Care were used to guide the identification of relational care practices within the articles selected. We identified five translatable concepts across the six studies: (1) doing with versus doing for, (2) staff responsiveness, (3) resident agency, (4) inclusive communication, and (5) time. In our new configuration of relational care, we combine these concepts to delineate an “interactive space” in which the agency of residents and initiative of staff are equally visible.

Family/friend caregivers are highly involved in supporting older adults with dementia who are 65 years of age or older with daily activities, especially when these older adults with dementia are living at home. There is a need for psychosocial interventions for caregivers of older adults with moderate to advanced dementia, as most interventions focus on persons at earlier stages. Namaste Care is a psychosocial, multisensory program intended to enhance quality of life for people with advanced dementia and their caregivers; however, it has not yet been adapted for use in a home setting. In this study, caregivers collaborated in adapting Namaste Care during workshops so that it could be delivered by caregivers of older adults with moderate to advanced dementia at home. Key findings were that Namaste Care resonated with the daily activities of caregivers, but that the intervention required modifications to ensure that it could be tailored to the needs and realities of caregivers and persons with dementia.

Il est essentiel d’utiliser des tests cognitifs ayant été validés et détenant des normes de référence auprès de la population cible, puisque les réalités culturelles et linguistiques différentes entre l’échantillon de validation ou auprès duquel les normes ont été créées et la population cible peuvent affecter les résultats. Cette revue systématique vise à recenser et décrire les tests cognitifs (incluant tests, questionnaires et grilles d’observation) validés et/ou présentant des normes sur la population âgée canadienne francophone. Au total, 46 articles ont été sélectionnés. Cette revue recense 9 tests validés, 20 tests avec normes de référence et 18 tests validés et avec normes, couvrant la majorité des domaines cognitifs (fonctions mnésiques, attentionnelles, exécutives, perceptivo-motrices et langagières), excepté la cognition sociale. La quasi-totalité des échantillons ont été recrutés au Québec. Les tests relevés présentent majoritairement des indices psychométriques satisfaisants et généralement des normes considérant l’âge, le sexe et l’éducation. Cette revue systématique permettra aux cliniciens et chercheurs canadiens en vieillissement d’orienter optimalement leurs choix de tests cognitifs.

The purpose of this study was to identify internal and external factors associated with outdoor winter walking in older adults. In this scoping review, 12 databases were searched. Inclusion criteria included English language, focus on adults 65 years of age or older, and evaluation of factors associated with outdoor winter walking. Two authors screened titles/abstracts and full text. Conflicts were resolved by consensus. Data were extracted, organized into tables, and summarized as pertaining to barriers/facilitators and internal/external factors associated with outdoor winter walking. A total of 6,843 articles were identified, 1,898 duplicates were removed, 4,789 were excluded during title/abstract screening, and 148 were excluded during full-text review. Eight studies were included. Four categories of factors affecting outdoor winter walking in older adults were identified: adverse weather conditions, physical environment, physical function, and perceptions relating to winter walking conditions. Rehabilitation and exercise professionals can use the results to educate their clients and implement the facilitators of and alternatives and solutions to barriers to outdoor winter walking.

If interRAI home care information were shared with primary care providers, care provision and integration could be enhanced. The objective of this study was to co-develop an interRAI-based clinical information sharing tool (i.e., the Patient Falls Risk Report) with a sample of primary care providers. This mixed-methods study employed semi-structured interviews to inform the development of the Patient Falls Risk Report and online surveys based on the System Usability Scale instrument to test its usability. Most of the interview sample (n = 9) believed that the report could support patient care by sharing relevant and actionable falls-related information. However, criticisms were identified, including insufficient detail, clarity, and support for shared care planning. After incorporating suggestions for improvement, the survey sample (n = 27) determined that the report had excellent usability with an overall usability score of 83.4 (95% CI = 78.7–88.2). By prioritizing the needs of end-users, sustainable interRAI interventions can be developed to support primary care.

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in long-term care (LTC) has threatened to undo efforts to transform the culture of care from institutionalized to de-institutionalized models characterized by an orientation towards person- and relationship-centred care. Given the pandemic’s persistence, the sustainability of culture-change efforts has come under scrutiny. Drawing on seven culture-change models implemented in Canada, we identify organizational prerequisites, facilitatory mechanisms, and frontline changes relevant to culture change that can strengthen the COVID-19 pandemic response in LTC homes. We contend that a reversal to institutionalized care models to achieve public health goals of limiting COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks is detrimental to LTC residents, their families, and staff. Culture change and infection control need not be antithetical. Both strategies share common goals and approaches that can be integrated as LTC practitioners consider ongoing interventions to improve residents’ quality of life, while ensuring the well-being of staff and residents’ families.

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate and devastating impact on older adults. As health care resources suddenly shifted to emergency response planning, many health and community support services were cancelled, postponed, or shifted to virtual care. This rapid transformation of geriatric care resulted in an immediate need for practical guidance on decision making, planning and delivery of virtual care for older adults and caregivers. This article outlines the rapid co-design process that supported the development of a guidance document intended to support health and community support services providers. Data were collected through consultation sessions, surveys, and a rapid literature review, and analyzed using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods. Although this work took place within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting resources and lessons learned related to collective impact, co-design, population-based planning, and digital technologies can be applied more broadly.