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Articles on Aging

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Healthspan measures incorporate quality of life in ways that lifespan does not. Ira T. Nicolai/The Image Bank via Getty Images

Are you a rapid ager? Biological age is a better health indicator than the number of years you’ve lived, but it’s tricky to measure

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases. Figuring out what influences longevity and how to identify rapid agers could lead to healthier and longer lives for more people.
Epigenetics is but one of many factors that influence aging, health and disease. bestdesigns/iStock via Getty Images

Epigenetic and social factors both predict aging and health – but new research suggests one might be stronger

People don’t all age at the same rate. Untangling the factors that influence health and disease – such as epigenetics, demographics and behavior – could lead to better care for those who need it most.
People don’t necessarily tell the same stories over and over again because they’re losing cognitive function, but because the stories are important, and they feel we need to know them. (Shutterstock)

Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

Repeated storytelling from elderly relatives doesn’t necessarily always signal age or cognitive decline. It’s about conveying memories and values to a new generation.
Though Richard Avedon started his career as a fashion photographer, he later became known for his unflinching eye. Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

Richard Avedon, Truman Capote and the brutality of photography

In a 1959 essay, Capote noted how Avedon seemed to capture ‘every hard-earned crow’s foot’ in his subjects – perhaps not realizing that he would one day be photographed by that same unvarnished gaze.
When bonds are forged between generations, both the young and the old benefit. Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

This course teaches students how to connect with older adults to forge intergenerational bonds and help alleviate loneliness and isolation

Social isolation and loneliness in aging adults have been linked to numerous physical and mental health ailments. Teaching students how to listen deeply to older people can lessen those effects.
For workers in long-term care homes, distress due to difficult working conditions is often dismissed as a part of the job description. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

5 steps for tackling Canada’s long-term care crisis: It starts with valuing the well-being of workers

The long-term care sector is currently being held together by a very vulnerable workforce, and is at risk of failing without immediate solutions.
Whether you’re 16 going on 17 or 79 going on 80, singing classics and new numbers virtually with a group brings joy. (Shutterstock)

Puttin’ on the Ritz and improving well-being with older adults through virtual music theatre

I’m happy again: A pandemic-induced move to virtual music theatre presents a paradigm shift for the genre, yet reveals surprising benefits in facilitating new access to music in community.
Reflection Rooms are evidence-based, participatory art installations that help people express emotions about death and dying. (Shutterstock)

Reflection Room: Exploring pandemic-related grief in long-term care homes

Reflection Rooms support people making sense of experiences related to dying and death. They provide an immersive space to read stories written by others and write and share their own stories.

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