People living with dementia (PLWD) want – and have the right – to participate in research that impacts them. However, barriers in legislation, institutional practices, and/or biases may jeopardize inclusion.

Interviews with 33 Canadian dementia researchers were conducted to explore understandings of research consent with regard to dementia, research practices, and approaches in everyday research contexts.

Analysis of these interviews revealed challenges in negotiating the space between best practices and institutional requirements; gaps in knowledge, procedures, and guidelines on inclusion and consent; tensions regarding who should be involved in decision making; and how assumptions of presumed incapacity and/or the ‘protection’ of vulnerable groups create and/or sustain the exclusion of PLWD from research.

Moving forward, findings suggest that advancing the meaningful inclusion of PLWD in Canadian dementia research will require clear, consistent standardized guidelines, flexible and ongoing consent processes, accessibility accommodations, and a stronger focus on rights-based practices.

As the Canadian population ages, supporting older adults’ desire to age in their homes and communities is vital. Oasis is an older adult-driven program implemented within naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) that fosters social connections to support aging in place. While housing partners provide space for such programs, their perspectives are underexplored.

This study examined housing partners’ experiences (landlords, owners, superintendents) to understand benefits, barriers, and facilitators of implementing the Oasis in different NORC settings.

We interviewed 11 housing partners via Zoom and analysed data using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged: (i) perceived benefits of Oasis program: building social connections and promoting health among older adults, (ii) transforming the building, (iii) Site Coordinator is the ‘secret sauce’, and (iv) starting up and sustaining Oasis: facilitators and challenges.

Findings emphasize expanding NORC-based programs like Oasis and sustaining investment in healthy aging.

Older men face significant health inequities compared to women, with the transition to retirement often exacerbating these differences.

This study explored the benefits of participation in the Squamish Men’s Shed (SMS) in British Columbia, Canada.

Using a case study design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 members aged 55 and older.

Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes: A Meaningful Use of Time, The Desire to Give Back, Finding Friendship Within the Shed, and Well-Being as a By-Product. Findings described the Shed as a valuable space to maintain structure and purpose postretirement, foster community engagement, and cultivate social connection. While mental health was rarely an explicit motivation for participation, members described enhanced well-being as an indirect outcome. The Shed also provided opportunities for intergenerational contribution, reinforcing a sense of usefulness and generativity.

The findings highlight the Shed’s potential as a community-based model that promotes men’s mental health rather than formalized interventions.

Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that confinement reduced access to services and increased caregivers’ responsibilities and isolation.

This study examines the longer-term impacts among 83 unpaid caregivers of older adults from four Canadian provinces.

Participants completed an online questionnaire between October 2021 and February 2022, and again 6 months later, on the assistance provided, support received, language of services, and psychological well-being. Additionally, eight caregivers participated in a qualitative interview.

Most home support services were maintained during the pandemic – some with restricted staffing – except for respite and transportation services. Caregivers increased their assistance during the lockdowns, and this higher involvement persisted in 2022. They perceived a negative impact of the pandemic on their health and that of the care recipient. Participants from official language minority communities described additional challenges accessing services in their preferred language.

Greater recognition of caregivers’ needs will help support their role as partners within health organizations.

This study engages with the experiences and challenges reported by Punjabi family carers of older adults from one census metropolitan city in Canada.

Our focus was on understanding carers’ interpretations of family and public responsibilities for supporting older adults.

We interviewed eight Punjabi carers in one Canadian city who provide any form of unpaid help to an older adult living at home, about their experiences and ideas for advocacy. The interviews were analyzed through abductive thematic analysis, using politicization as a sensitizing concept.

While participants identified ideas for changes in public policy, their underlying mistrust of formal care systems often seemed to reinforce familial responsibility for care and restrict advocacy efforts to local family systems.

These truncated networks of support contributed to alienating conditions for carers and limited opportunities for inclusive collective action to improve the current social organization of care for older people at home in Canada.

In this article, we explore how Long-Term Residential Care (LTRC) features contribute to violence against staff.

Data were collected using a mixed-methods case study in LTRC, including an online survey (N = 240) and interviews with staff (N = 29) in two Canadian provinces.

Survey data showed 97.2% of staff reported experiencing at least one form of violence from residents, and 53.2% experienced one or more forms of violence from family carers. Severe physical violence from residents was significantly correlated with the number of different types of training staff received and working with a higher proportion of residents with cognitive impairment. Staff attributed violence from family carers to mistrust, lack of understanding, and ‘unrealistic expectations’ while they attributed violence from residents to insufficient resources.

Violence in LTRC occurs across multiple relationships. To address this, structural changes to staffing and working conditions that enhance trust and relational care are essential.

This study assessed the construct validity, predictive validity, and responsiveness of the 4-metre walk test (4MWT) in community-dwelling older Canadians.

Baseline and 3-year follow-up data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were examined, including participants ≥ 65 years with 4MWT assessments. Secondary outcomes included physical and self-report measures and healthcare utilization (e.g., hospitalization and emergency department visits).

Baseline data on 12,433 and follow-up data on 10,107 participants were analysed. For construct validity, low-to-high correlations with the comparator measures (rho = 0.25 [with the Life Space Assessment] to 0.72 [with the Timed-Up and Go]) and known-groups differences of 0.15 m/s (assistive device use) and 0.04 m/s (falls) were found. For predictive validity, areas under the curve ranged from 0.51 to 0.59 for healthcare utilization, indicating poor prediction. For responsiveness, low-to-moderate correlations between change scores were found (rho = 0.01–0.44).

Findings demonstrated partial support for construct validity and responsiveness and no support for predictive validity.

Early-onset frontotemporal dementia (EO-FTD) presents before age 65 and is frequently misdiagnosed as psychiatric or behavioural disorders, delaying care.

This scoping review synthesizes research on EO-FTD’s earliest cognitive symptoms from patients, companions (family and friends), healthcare professionals, and cognitive tests to promote early detection.

A systematic search of six databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses) identified 2197 studies of which 16 met inclusion criteria, encompassing 663 EO-FTD participants.

A total of 35 unique cognitive symptoms were identified. Memory, attention, and executive dysfunction were most frequently reported. Symptom terminology varied widely, often mirroring cognitive test phrasing, limiting clinical applicability. Many studies relied on cognitive test scores rather than detailed symptom descriptions, with patient and companion reports underrepresented.

The findings underscore the need for standardized nomenclature, improved assessment tools, and greater inclusion of patient and companion perspectives to enhance EO-FTD early diagnosis and intervention strategies.

The objective was to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of dance interventions on quality of life (QoL) for adults aged 60+ living in long-term care (LTC).

A systematic review, initiated and co-led by patient partners, was conducted following a search across eight electronic databases. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and observational designs reporting QoL or health-related QoL outcomes. Reviewers independently completed title/abstract and full-text screening. Data extraction included study characteristics, intervention details, outcome measures, use of theory, proposed mechanisms of action, and intervention effectiveness.

Seven studies involving 429 participants were included. Six studies reported improvements in QoL or health-related QoL. Five studies used a dance intervention targeted to a specific country or cultural group. Two studies identified potential mechanisms of action.

Dance interventions may improve QoL in older adults living in LTC. Research with more theory-driven, mixed methods, and/or co-created designs is needed.

Canadian older adults express interest in maintaining independence and remaining in their homes as they age, a phenomenon known as aging in place. A variety of supports are needed to age in place, and rural older Canadians face barriers. Much of the current literature on aging in place in Canada focuses on urban environments. However, rural-dwelling older Canadians face unique challenges with aging in place.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that influence a rural-dwelling older adult's ability to age in place and identify any unique barriers faced by the older adult.

The socio-ecological model is a theoretical framework that assesses how factors at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy levels influence health. The socioecological model is used as a framework to investigate the older adults’ ability to age in place in rural Canada.

This research noted facilitators to aging in place in rural Canada, such as social support and a culture of self-reliance. Barriers to aging in place in rural Canada, such as transportation and healthcare access, are also shown.

While implementation of the socio-ecological model can be challenging, findings from this research can inform the development and delivery of health promotion interventions by framing the complex interplay of multi-level factors that influence aging in place for rural Canadians.