Most Canadians plan to live independently as long as possible, but new survey findings suggest further education is needed between healthcare practitioners and patients TELUS Health, together with the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), recently released the findings from a new survey that sheds light on how older Canadians can be better supported to age well, safely and independently. The 2022 survey of Canadian healthcare practitioners (HCPs) demonstrates the need to prioritize conversations surrounding innovative solutions to enable ageing-in-place: 95 per cent of HCPs s ..read more

By Ashley Baddeley and Tamara Rader More than 700,000 Canadians are currently living with dementia, a syndrome that leads to progressive memory loss and a deterioration in cognition over time. Associated symptoms range from mild and not debilitating (i.e., forgetfulness, limited attention span, mood swings, and mild coordination issues) to all-encompassing (i.e., inability to communicate and/or care for oneself). Dementia (and Alzheimer disease — the most common form of dementia) may not only significantly interfere with a person’s daily living but can also lead to a high burden of stress for ..read more

By Sunjeev Uthayakumar, Stephanie Lau, Andrew Tu, and Certina Ho What are Benzodiazepines? Benzodiazepines are often listed as one of the most prescribed or dispensed drug classes. In 2016, a special report on top drugs of 2015  showed that some of the agents in this drug class are among the top 50 prescription drugs. The approved indications of benzodiazepines range from anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, to sedation (e.g., in surgical procedures and ventilation), seizures, and alcohol withdrawal, etc., depending on the individual drug’s pharmacokinetic property and available clinical ev ..read more

By Arielle Ricketts   Blanche Morris admits that she didn’t always understand computers. But since participating in Tech Coaches’ Digital Literacy workshop offered through the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), she’s confident in her abilities to independently navigate the web, send emails, and join a Zoom call. “If I want to go on Amazon and shop, I can,” shares Morris. “I can also connect with my church family more. Now I log on to Zoom through my tablet and turn on my camera, when all I could do before was dial in on my phone.” Over the last two years, techno ..read more

By Jasmine Gill In Canada, the rising costs of delivering tertiary care health services and an aging population have prompted a shift towards optimizing primary care and outpatient-based services. Pharmacists have traditionally played a large role in providing care in community pharmacy practices. Today, pharmacists are increasingly expanding and innovating practices in other outpatient settings, including the home. Given that many older adults in Canada would like to remain in their own homes for as long  as they can, home-based care is a desirable and convenient option for many patients ..read more

Throughout her retirement, Joanne Weeks always stayed active and attended weekly fitness classes. But when the pandemic hit, the classes were cancelled. Weeks noticed the decline not just in her fitness level, but her balance and flexibility as well. “I felt like my fitness had gone backwards,” she says. “Things that had always been easy for me, like going upstairs and gardening, became harder. I was at a loss without my fitness classes.” Then, a friend of Weeks’ posted on Facebook about some virtual fitness and dance classes. Virtual fitness for older adults In response to the pandemic, the&n ..read more

A new risk calculator can help predict how long an older adult will live, and support end-of-life planning. The method used to develop the tool is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Although most Canadians die from predictable causes and have health needs that can be met at home, only 20 per cent of people receive a physician home visit in their last year of life. To help understand the changing care needs of older adults as they age and when they might be nearing the end of their lives, a team of researchers developed the Risk Evaluation for Support: Predictions for Eld ..read more

By John Muscedere and John Puxty COVID-19 has framed older Canadians as frail and vulnerable during the pandemic – for good reason.  The pandemic has hit older adults particularly hard, accounting for the majority of those suffering from serious illness and death.  Fear of COVID-19 contagion continues to impact seniors far more than most other Canadians, forcing them into stricter lockdown measures for their own health and safety. What’s forgotten in the focus on keeping seniors safe is that older adults aren’t solely vulnerable and reliant but contribute greatly to our economy and t ..read more

By John Muscedere Last month, while the world was distracted by political turmoil and the pandemic’s roaring second wave, a very significant proclamation came and went with little fanfare. The United Nations General Assembly launched 2020-2030 as the Decade of Healthy Ageing, calling for a decade of concerted global action to extend the health and well-being horizons of the world’s one billion people over the age of 60. In contrast to a common misperception, aging alone isn’t what sidelines older people — frailty is. While aging is inevitable, frailty is not. Frailty is defined as a medical co ..read more

By Nikki Jhutti Twelve years ago, Noreen Peters married the love of her life, Jim. “He’s a fun loving guy, he’s a joker and he has a great sense of humor,” smiles Noreen. “He promised me I would never be bored.” Jim kept that promise.  But not in the way the couple imagined. In 2014, Jim was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.  “I finally found someone who loves me unconditionally and he’s going to disappear,” Noreen says holding back tears. Jim is now 81-years-old. The doting wife cares for him full-time and up until recently, she was still working. “He wasn’t ..read more