Automobile technology provides opportunities for older drivers to maintain their independence and autonomy, but cars need to be designed with their needs in mind.
Behaviour changes like apathy, lack of impulse control or socially inappropriate behaviour may indicate a risk of dementia in people over age 50.
(Shutterstock)
Dementia does not manifest solely as a memory problem. People with dementia can also experience issues with learning, comprehension and judgement, but they may also experience changes in behaviour.
Retirement homes might seem like less of a lifestyle choice and more like relocation imposed upon older adults by fragmented and under-resourced primary and community care services.
(Shutterstock)
Lysanne Lessard, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Amy T. Hsu, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Peter Tanuseputro, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa, and Sampath Bemgal, University of New Brunswick
An accurate prediction of survival can enable earlier conversations about preferences and wishes at the end of life, and earlier introduction of palliative care.
Dementia care in South Asian households is shaped by cultural, familial and societal forces that bring benefits and challenges.
Modifiable risk factors for dementia include high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and infrequent social contact.
(Shutterstock)
While there is no guarantee of warding off cognitive decline, encouraging people to be physically, mentally and socially active could potentially keep a significant number of dementia cases at bay.
Without home cooling, Phoenix’s weeks with temperatures over 110 F in July 2023 became dangerous.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Health and climate change researchers explain the risks and why older adults, even those in northern states, need to pay attention.
Centenarian Clementina Ripplinger with researcher Heather Nelson. Researchers spoke to very elderly people about what brings them joy and how they plan for the future.
(Shane Luhning)
Intergenerational Day serves as a reminder of what the old and young can learn from one another, as well as the benefits that come from connecting with others.
A core focus of palliative care is on easing symptoms and increasing quality of life for people who have a serious or chronic illness, and not solely for those who are dying.
(Shutterstock)
The challenging realities surrounding end-of-life care are especially difficult for older people experiencing homelessness, who have more barriers to accessing hospice care.
COVID-19 is still with us, and is still causing serious illness and death. However, it is disproportionately affecting older people.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
COVID-19 is the third-leading cause of death in Canada, but it’s older people who are dying. That we accept this and carry on as if the pandemic is over reveals our ageism: We don’t value older people.
More than eight per cent of study subjects were ‘kinless’ at the time of their dementia diagnosis.
(Shutterstock)
New research affords a rare window into the circumstances and needs of a potentially very vulnerable group that until now has remained largely invisible: people with dementia who have no close kin.
Stereotypes about the elderly having more than their fair share can be heightened during times of crisis when resources are seen to be scarce.
(Shutterstock)
To reduce ageist perceptions of older people, we should encourage collectivist norms and the importance of acting for the common good.
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)
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.
Positive and negative stereotypes about aging have cultural and political implications that determine how societies care for their older generations.
(Shutterstock)
Locking individuals into the narrative of age as a vulnerability means inevitably creating ageist stereotypes.
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
The oldest person in the world, Kane Tanaka of Japan, died in April 2022 at 119 years. The record of Jeanne Calment of France, who died at 122, has stood for almost 25 years. Will it be beaten?
RSV is the leading cause for hospital stays in infants in developed countries.
(Shutterstock)
As visits to emergency departments surge — and in some cases overwhelm hospitals — here are answers to frequently asked questions about Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Geriatrician working in clinical practice. PhD Candidate at The University of Melbourne studying ethics and ageism in health care. Affiliate lecturer, Deakin University