La masse de la colonne vertébrale lombaire ainsi que la masse osseuse totale ont été déterminées chez 119 hommes et femmes âgés en bonne santé par la technique d'absorptiométrie bi-photonique. Le taux de perte du contenu minéral de la colonne vertébrale lombaire est le même chez l'homme âgé et chez la femme âgée, et n'est, sans doute, pas différent du taux accepté pour les jeunes adultes. Chez les femmes âgées, nous avons mesuré une perte annuelle significative de 24 g du contenu minéral osseux du squelette. Le plus important indice de prédiction de la masse osseuse est le poids de la personne. Des variables représentant la santé physique ou la force, seule la force du bras contribue à la variation de la masse osseuse, étant responsable de 4 pour cent de la variation dans la densité du minéral osseux de la colonne vertébrale lombaire de la femme.

Edelman's (1967,1977) analysis of political processes is used as the theoretical framework within which to examine the role of international conferences such as the recent World Assembly on Aging. The function of such international assemblies and the role of participating policymakers and experts are interpreted as part of a symbolic process which legitimates problem definitions and national policies, and validates the roles of policy makers, bureaucrats and experts. The paper questions whether these meetings have real potential for influencing national policies and discusses the factors which limit their relevance and usefulness for developing countries.

Post-traumatic stress disorder refers to the aftermath of highly traumatic events involving death, serious injury, or threat to one's physical integrity in circumstances out of the ordinary, such as war, natural disasters, rape, or torture. Four chapters of this book specifically address post-traumatic stress disorder, as a late-onset or reactivated condition, in World War II veterans and older adults who survived a natural disaster. These contributions, from American and Dutch researchers, bring first-hand information on the prevalence and course of the disorder and they constitute the originality of the book. Two chapters, on the maltreatment of older adults and on the stressful impact of ordinary negative events on older adults, expand the coverage of stress in late adulthood. Starting and finishing with a discussion of general issues in stress and post-traumatic stress research, the book also contains two chapters of a more general nature on the effects of age on physiological responses to stress in both laboratory animals and human beings. Contributions providing a theoretical context for integration and drawing the therapeutic implications of the research findings would have been useful. Still, this book constitutes a unique source of information and a basic reading, given the paucity of research in the area of post-traumatic stress disorder in older adults.

Social participation has tremendous implications for the physical and mental health of older adults. A growing body of Canadian literature has examined social participation among older adults, including frequency of participation; gender, age, and regional differences in participation; and associations with self-perceived health, loneliness, and life dissatisfaction. The current study adds to this important body of research, using a large, nationally representative sample of adults 45–85 years of age (Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging [CLSA] baseline data [n = 51,338]), to examine nuanced characteristics associated with social participation (socio-demographics, social support, cognitive ability, mental health, physical conditions), frequency of participation, and the relationship between the aforementioned characteristics and frequency of participation. Findings indicated that compared with those who reported infrequent/no participation, more frequent participation was associated with greater social support, higher cognitive abilities, increased satisfaction with life, fewer depressive symptoms, reduced odds of self-reported mood and anxiety disorders, and fewer self-reported physical conditions. Findings highlight the importance of active social participation, and have important implications for the development and implementation of accessible community programs across Canada.

Canadian family physicians (FPs) and home health staff (HHS) experience significant barriers to patient-related collaboration about patients they share. This mixed-methods study sought to determine the quality and sustainability of secure audio conferencing as a way to increase care planning about shared patients. Primary data sources included pre-and post-study administration of a published survey and post-study semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Non-parametric statistical procedures were used to analyze survey results and thematic content analysis was undertaken for qualitative data. Results from both quantitative and qualitative analysis were integrated into the overall analysis, in order to draw inferences reflecting both approaches to barriers and benefits of collaborative care planning for FPs and HHS. Both FPs and HHS provided evidence that structural barriers impede their ability to collaborate. HHS and FPs also agreed that joint conferences were beneficial for patients, and that the use of audio conferencing provided an efficient method of collaborative care planning. Limitations included a small sample size and short timeline for the intervention period, given the magnitude of the expected change.

Despite the importance of retirement planning among an aging population, little is known about the retirement planning of sexual minority adults (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual) and their potentially unique challenges. We compared retirement planning perceptions of these adults with heterosexual adults and examined the potential role of social support. There were no significant differences between sexual minorities and heterosexual adults regarding their expected retirement age, certainty of retirement age, and anticipated income adequacy in retirement, and higher levels of perceived support were associated with younger anticipated retirement age and greater certainty in retirement planning perceptions. Perceived support also had a stronger association with retirement planning perceptions for sexual minority adults compared to heterosexuals, such that lower perceived support was associated with a later retirement age and less certainty about retirement age, and lower levels of perceived support were linked to diminished anticipated retirement income adequacy for sexual minority adults.

The confluence of rapid population aging and the overwhelming desire of older adults to age in place begs the question: Do our cities support the health and well-being of aging populations? Using a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood approach, this macro-scale investigation explores the “double risk” that many older adults live with – the potential of being disadvantaged by socio-demographic risk factors (being older, living alone, low income) and by living in an unsupportive built environment. It is an integration of what we know about supportive built form for older adults and applies this knowledge to Canadian cities, using a spectrum approach to classifying built environments. We found that most older adults with socio-demographic risk factors are living in unsupportive built environments in Canada; however, the distribution between built environments along the spectrum and between municipalities reveals a variegated landscape of double risk. Previous research suggests that unsupportive built environments can be supplemented with services, small-scale improvements in the built environment, and larger-scale retrofitting of neighbourhoods. Since the spatial distribution of vulnerability varies greatly within the 33 Canadian cities analysed, it highlights the need for this kind of inquiry to target age-friendly policy interventions.