There are limited data on chiropractic care for older adults, specifically from medically underserved communities. This study describes the characteristics, clinical management, and patient-reported outcomes of older adults with spinal pain who present for chiropractic care at a publicly funded community health centre serving marginalized populations. This retrospective analysis utilized quality assurance data from chiropractic encounters at Mount Carmel Clinic between January 2011 and June 2020 of adults aged 45 and older. Descriptive statistics summarized the study population and their self-reported pain severity scores. Student’s t-tests and repeated-measures ANOVA explored relationships between pain outcomes, age, and clinical characteristics. The sample included 240 middle-aged (45–59 years) and older adults (≥60 years) who recorded baseline and discharge pain scores following chiropractic treatment. Over half of middle-aged participants self-identified as Indigenous or as people with disabilities. Statistically and clinically important improvements in pain were noted across spinal regions and extremities for both cohorts.

The Connecting People and Community for Living Well initiative recognizes that communities, specifically multisector community teams, are a critical part of the provision of programs and supports for those affected by dementia. Effective collaboration and building and supporting the collective well-being of these multisector community teams is key to their success and sustainability. This research sought to understand what supports the well-being of community teams. Focus groups were conducted with multisector community teams who support those impacted by dementia from across four rural communities. The research team used thematic analysis to identify patterns emerging within and across focus groups. The findings highlighted three areas of importance: the need for a resource to support teams to measure, monitor, and describe the impact of their actions; ongoing support from a system-level team; and the development of local and/or provincial policy and infrastructure that supports sustaining collaborative community-based work.

Loneliness is a major health concern for immigrant older adults. This study explores social influences on loneliness in neighbourhoods among immigrant older adults across five major urban centres in Ontario and Alberta, Canada. Data were collected from 435 older immigrants who participated in the Inclusive Communities for Older Immigrants (ICOI) Project. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression (MLR) to identify the influences of neighbourhood factors, family support, duration of residency in Canada, English proficiency, and gender. Results indicate that increased engagement in ethnic enclaves, not being reliant on transportation for social interactions, and perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion are associated with a significant reduction in loneliness. These associations remain significant after accounting for family support and language proficiency. This calls for further research into the interconnections among interpersonal factors, neighbourhood-level factors, and family and community-level support to address key influences on loneliness in this population.

Falls account for 95 percent of hip fractures in older adults. Wearable hip protectors reduce hip fracture risk in long-term care settings, but their use is low among community-dwelling older adults. We conducted interviews to explore how hip protectors are perceived by 27 community-dwelling older adults who visited the Fraser Health Fall Prevention Mobile Clinic in British Columbia. Directed content analysis focused on perceived benefits, design preferences, and cost as a barrier to use of hip protectors. Most participants acknowledged the benefits of hip protectors in reducing the risk of hip fracture, enhancing physical activity, and reducing the fear of falling. However, most participants did not perceive they were at high enough risk to warrant the use of hip protectors. Participants also discussed how willingness to wear depended on design features, including style, pad thickness, appearance, ease of use, fit, comfort, and laundering. Participants also noted the cost, ranging from $60 to $120, as a barrier.

Respite for individuals caring for family living with dementia is a common way to take personal time away from caregiving. Other than respite, there is little indication that caregivers receive adequate support from community and healthcare services. As a result, caregivers tend to experience a decline in well-being, due, in part, to a reduction in meaningful leisure experiences. The purpose of this article is to share findings from research aimed at discovering ways to enhance caregiver participation in meaningful leisure. Findings highlight how participants sacrificed their leisure time in favour of caregiving responsibilities and experienced a diminished sense of social connection. Findings also highlight how participants can have their own care needs met through leisure programming that lets them know they matter. We draw from these findings to suggest ways to direct more attention and resources to meeting caregiver needs.

The purpose of this retrospective population-based study of adults aged ≥50 years was to examine associations between older age, multimorbidity, and self-rated perceptions of health with frequent emergency department (ED) visits. Using Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2015–16 data, a multivariate logistic regression model was generated to evaluate associations between predictor variables and frequent ED use. The study sample included data for 57,138 participants across Canada, equating to approximately 13,091,592 when sampling weights applied. Frequent ED use was associated with older age, male sex, multimorbidity, and lower household income. Lower self-rated levels of health were most strongly associated with frequent ED use. Having a primary health care provider was not a significant predictor in univariate or multivariate analyses. Older adults who are frequent ED attenders are a distinct population whose characteristics need to be understood to target strategies for those who most need them to improve quality care and outcomes.

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is defined as a postprandial decline in systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 20 mm of Hg. Some have recommended the use of acarbose (an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor) as a potential therapy for PPH based exclusively on studies of older adults with diabetes. Using a randomized placebo-controlled design, 43 older adults (23 women, 20 men, mean age 77.1 ± 0.9 years) were recruited from geriatric medicine outpatient clinics in an academic centre. Although the average decrease in SBP during the meal test was significantly attenuated in the acarbose group (standardized β = 0.724 ± 0.286, p = 0.017), the acarbose group experienced significantly more PPH events (standardized β = 0.593 ± 0.279, p = 0.040). Although acarbose attenuated the mean decrease in SBP during the meal test, it did not reduce the actual number of PPH events recorded in a general population of older adults.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01914133.

Frailty in older adults with cancer is complex, evolving, and often overlooked in care. This qualitative study explored how frailty is experienced and reported using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and visualized over time through journey maps. Eleven participants (65+) completed the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument (CFAI) and semi-structured interviews. Individual journey maps combined CFAI scores with personal narratives to track changes in physical, mental, and social aspects of frailty over time. While PROMs showed variability in frailty severity, narratives revealed discrepancies, such as low frailty scores despite significant treatment-related challenges. Fatigue, emotional distress, and isolation were common during treatment, with lasting impacts post-treatment. Findings suggest PROMs alone may not fully capture lived experience. Integrating narrative dialogue provides a more person-centred approach to frailty assessment and care planning.

La communication constitue un élément déterminant dans la participation sociale des personnes aînées. Or, les interactions entre ces dernières et le personnel d’institutions publiques, dont les bibliothèques, demeurent peu étudiées. Cette étude visait donc à identifier les composantes déterminantes de l’interaction entre les personnes aînées et le personnel de la bibliothèque. Des entrevues individuelles et de groupes ont été menées auprès de 10 personnes employées et de 19 personnes aînées avec et sans troubles cognitifs ou de communication, puis analysées qualitativement. Un modèle théorique représentant comment l’interaction en bibliothèque est influencée par des facteurs relatifs à la personne aînée (ex.: besoin d’interaction), la personne employée (ex.: stratégies de communication), l’environnement (ex.: achalandage) et la modalité (ex.: téléphone) a été développé. L’identification de ces facteurs pourra soutenir les bibliothèques dans l’adaptation de leurs modes de fonctionnement pour promouvoir la pleine participation sociale des personnes aînées.

Cinq générations doivent actuellement cohabiter sur le marché du travail, ce qui peut entraîner plusieurs bénéfices, mais également un risque de tensions et de conflits susceptibles de nuire à la collaboration des équipes de travail et à la santé des personnes vieillissantes. La coopération intergénérationnelle au travail (CIT) a été relevée dans la littérature comme une avenue intéressante pour diminuer le risque de conflits intergénérationnels, mais elle demeure peu concrètement définie. Cette étude vise à proposer une définition opérationnelle du concept de coopération intergénérationnelle au travail à l’aide de la méthode d’analyse de Walker and Avant (2019). Quarante-huit manuscrits ont été répertoriés, permettant d’identifier huit attributs caractérisant la CIT, sept antécédents et six conséquents du concept. Cette étude fait ressortir le rôle des différents acteurs dans la CIT, met en lumière les bénéfices de la CIT et permet de considérer son rôle en prévention des lésions professionnelles.

Notre société segmentée par l’âge offre peu de possibilités d’interactions intergénérationnelles authentiques. Cela contribue aux stéréotypes et préjugés envers les personnes de tous âges, particulièrement les adultes aînés. Pour favoriser une société plus inclusive et lutter contre l’âgisme, un changement de paradigme sociétal devient nécessaire. À partir d’une recherche basée sur la conception et l’apprentissage intergénérationnel, nous avons cherché à mieux caractériser ces apprentissages afin de développer des formations spécifiques pour les appuyer. Basé sur un questionnaire préliminaire (n=79), nous avons conçu un atelier pilote (français/anglais) avec huit adultes aînées et huit jeunes adultes au cours duquel les participants ont dû réaliser en binôme une vidéo sur TikTok. Nos résultats indiquent que l’apprentissage intergénérationnel doit se fonder sur une pédagogie active, les activités et les objectifs pédagogiques doivent être multiples pour être réalisées en binômes intergénérationnels, le format doit permettre de développer une relation de confiance et l’évaluation doit être personnelle.

Relationship-centred mealtimes can support care home residents, who are at high risk for loneliness. However, care home staff do not consistently promote relationship-centred mealtimes. This secondary analysis examined the impact of factors (selected based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour) upon care home staff interest in making mealtimes more relationship-centred. Data were from a cross-sectional, quantitative survey of 670 care home staff from North America. We used multivariable logistic regression to test hypotheses. The model was statistically significant, and explained 13 per cent of the variance in staff members’ interest in making mealtimes more relationship-centred. Respondents who were more satisfied with current mealtime practices, had used collaborative change strategies in the past, and who perceived organizational support for relationship-centred care were more likely to have interest in making mealtimes more relationship-centred. These are modifiable factors to target in interventions designed to promote care home staff interest in making mealtimes more relationship-centred.

Plusieurs personnes atteintes d’un cancer incurable sont des hommes, âgés de plus de 65 ans. Même si, à notre connaissance, aucune recherche ne porte sur les souffrances de ces hommes, des écrits dévoilent que ces dernières pourraient être considérables. Les réalités du vieillissement au masculin couplées à celles d’être atteint d’une maladie incurable peuvent effectivement engendrer des souffrances particulières. Cette recherche qualitative vise à mieux comprendre les souffrances vécues par les hommes âgés atteints d’un cancer incurable (HACI). Nous explorerons si et comment leurs souffrances se rapportent à des enjeux identitaires de genre et/ou aux transformations de leurs rôles. Dix-sept hommes âgés de 65 ans et plus atteints d’un cancer incurable furent rencontrés en milieu urbain (Montréal) dans le cadre d’entretiens semi-dirigés. L’analyse thématique des résultats a permis de relever des enjeux identitaires et de rôles, la nature des changements affectant l’identité et ses rôles et les enjeux de genre vécus par les HACI.

The devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the missing voices of families and residents in long-term care (LTC) decision-making and policy processes. Family and resident councils constitute one method of raising these voices, but there is currently a gap in evidence of how to promote the effectiveness of these councils. We conducted five focus groups and two interviews with LTC home leaders, residents, family members, and advocates in British Columbia using a participatory approach integrating knowledge-users throughout the research process. Using a framework analysis, we found modifiable (communication, structure, recruitment/engagement, council leadership, culture/attitudes, and resources/supports) and non-modifiable factors (medical complexity of residents and short lengths of stay) affecting council effectiveness. We discuss strategies implemented by knowledge-users to address modifiable effectiveness factors and construct a preliminary tool (a 35-question survey) that operationalizes and identifies areas that can increase council effectiveness in practice to ensure that their voices are heard in LTC decision making.