Ensemble pour le plaisir ! (EPLP) est un programme ayant pour objectif d’amener les personnes vivant avec un trouble neurocognitif et leur proche aidant à retrouver des moments de plaisir au sein de leur relation. Appuyé par la théorie du comportement planifié d’Ajzen, le présent article vise à analyser la démarche d’implantation du programme EPLP au sein de milieux communautaires et de soulever les facteurs d’influence menant au changement de comportement des parties prenantes. Les résultats montrent que bien que les attitudes, les normes et la notion de contrôle soient favorables à l’intention de changer le comportement, des ressources médiatrices telles que le financement et le mentorat par l’équipe de recherche sont essentielles à l’implantation pérenne du programme.

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.

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.

Positive health outcomes are realized when individuals receive interprofessional care, which also includes collaboration with family and care providers. We used social network analysis to explore interprofessional care networks and experiences of independent, community-dwelling older adults and how they perceive collaboration between different medical and non-medical network members. Twenty-three participants were interviewed and asked to name individuals contributing to their health and well-being (network of care) and position them in a concentric circle to reflect the relative strength of relationships. The average network size was 11. Closest relationships were with spouses, children, and family physicians. Relationship strength with network members was marked by frequency, accessibility, longevity, and impact of interactions. Participants were ardent self-advocates for their care, but reported few apparent episodes of collaboration between network members. Our study highlights that coordinated and collaborative care for independent community-dwelling older adults is lacking and does not routinely engage non-medical network members.

La présente étude de méthode mixte explore les perceptions et attentes relatives aux hypnotiques et produits de santé naturels (PSN) chez les personnes âgées. Vingt-quatre personnes d’en moyenne 76 ans dont 58 % étaient des femmes ont participé à des entrevues semi-structurées. La moitié était des utilisateurs d’hypnotiques. Selon leur score de l’index de sévérité de l’insomnie, 54 % des participants avaient une insomnie légère, 38 % modérée et 8 % sévère. Les participants s’attendaient que les médicaments permettent un endormissement rapide, un sommeil ininterrompu et une augmentation de sa durée. Ils souhaitaient avoir des sensations comme la détente ou l’absence de pensées durant leur sommeil. Les sensations désirées au réveil comprenaient le calme, le bien-être et la satisfaction. Dans l’analyse de combinaison, les thèmes de la quantité de sommeil et le temps de latence court sont des critères d’efficacité les plus fréquemment cités autant chez ceux souffrant d’insomnie légère que modérée à sévère. L’absence d’éveils nocturne était l’autre critère d’efficacité plus fréquemment mentionné chez ceux ayant une insomnie légère alors que la sensation de bien-être au réveil était celui pour ceux ayant une insomnie modérée à sévère.

This study aimed to identify the associations between possible sarcopenia (p-sarcopenia) and fall risk, depression, and quality of life (QOL) in middle-aged (age ≥ 45 years) and older (age ≥ 65 years) adults. In this study, we analyzed a total of 10,181 men and women aged 45–85 years from the initial survey sample of the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Among middle-aged men (women) adults, fall risk and depression were 4.09 (1.34) and 2.25 (2.05) times higher in the p-sarcopenia group than in the non-possible sarcopenia (np-sarcopenia) group, respectively (p < 0.05). Middle-aged and older men and women all showed low QOL-related scores, especially middle-aged men and women in the p-sarcopenia group (p < 0.05). Therefore, adequate management of sarcopenia is necessary in both older and middle-aged adults to reduce its burden as a public health concern.

Un certain nombre d’articles et de chapitres d’ouvrages évoquent les remaniements fonctionnels des familles face à la maladie neuro-évolutive (MNE) d’un de leurs proches. Cependant, peu d’études s’arrêtent sur le vécu de ces familles, sur leur positionnement face à la maladie et de comment elles se sentent reconnues par leurs proches atteints d’une MNE à un stade sévère. Dans cette étude, nous nous sommes intéressés au sentiment de reconnaissance des enfants et des conjoints, aux émotions de colère et de tristesse ainsi qu’aux sentiments de découragement et d’impuissance vécus par les familles face à l’évolution de la MNE de leurs parents / conjoints. Nous avons souhaité savoir s’il existait une différence significative entre les enfants et les conjoints au niveau de leur sentiment de reconnaissance et de leurs vécus. Nos résultats montrent qu’il existe une différence significative entre les enfants et les conjoints au niveau de la colère.

Most persons living with dementia in Canada reside at home, relying on support from family and/or friends as caregivers. Evidentially, knowledge gaps exist when trying to understand how caregivers and persons living with dementia can be better supported in their community and health care environments. This research examined the effect of aging in place with a focus on providing a comprehensive understanding of the barriers to aging in place for persons living with dementia and their caregivers using the social-ecological model. Fourteen caregivers were recruited to participate in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The subsequent theme, they do not make it easy, emphasizes issues faced with community and societal domains of aging in place care. These findings shed light on the unmet needs of persons living with dementia and their caregivers while aging in place, as well as the need to address systemic barriers to sincerely promote aging in place for all persons.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted significant vulnerabilities in long-term care (LTC) homes, severely impacting residents and care partners. This study investigates how care partners of older adults living in Ontario LTC homes perceived residents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how those perceptions shaped their own caregiving experiences. Using critical ethnography, we identified four key themes: (a) masks and miscommunication, (b) loneliness and loss, (c) from interaction to isolation, and (d) loss of the advocacy role. Supportive actions included transparent masks, increased allied health professionals, and enriching daily programs. These findings emphasize the need for policies that balance infection control with the emotional and social needs of LTC residents, addressing power imbalances, ageism, and systemic inequities.

Engaging residents of long-term care homes (LTCHs) in their home’s environment, programs, and operations is required in some jurisdictions and could improve resident quality of life and other outcomes. This scoping review summarized existing research on resident engagement in LTCH organizational design and governance, including associated enablers, barriers, approaches, and outcomes. The database search yielded 5,580 records (after deduplication), and 62 articles covering 59 studies were included. These studies predominantly described Residents’ Councils (n = 38; 64%) and enablers or barriers pertaining to resident and home perspectives, as well as implementation and sustainability infrastructure. Few studies described approaches to considerations of resident diversity (n = 8; 14%) or the presence of dementia and/or cognitive impairment (n = 12; 20%). Ten studies reported quantitative data evaluating resident engagement, and only four with resident-reported outcomes. Robust, evidence-informed frameworks that are co-designed with residents, staff, and others in the LTCH sector are needed to engage residents in their LTCHs.

Driving enables older adults to maintain independence and community mobility. Driving plays a pivotal role in the ability to engage in activities, socialize, run errands, and access health care services; yet many people eventually stop driving. This study investigates factors that contribute to transitions from driver to non-driver (i.e., driving status) using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Among participants aged 45–85 who reported driving at baseline (n = 30,901), 1.65 percent (n = 510) had stopped driving at follow-up (three years later). Logistic regression identified predictors of this transition, including older age, female sex, lower income, urban residence, poorer self-rated health, difficulties with activities of daily living, low memory scores, and vision problems. These findings highlight the interplay of physical, cognitive, and environmental factors in driving cessation. This research advances understanding of mobility transitions in later life and informs targeted strategies to support older adults as they plan for driving retirement.