The literature on age-friendly communities is predominantly focused on a model of urban aging, thereby failing to reflect the diversity of rural communities. In this article, we address that gap by focusing on the concept of community in a rural context and asking what makes a good fit between older people and their environment. We do this through (a) autobiographical and biographical accounts of two very different geographical living environments: bucolic and bypassed communities; and through (b) analysis of the different needs and resources of two groups of people: marginalized and community-active older adults, who live in those two different rural communities. We argue that the original 2007 World Health Organization definition of age friendly should be reconceptualized to explicitly accommodate different community needs and resources, to be more inclusive as well as more interactive and dynamic, incorporating changes that have occurred over time in people and place.

We sought to estimate the incidence of long-term care (LTC) placement and to identify resident- and facility-level predictors of placement among older residents of designated assisted living (AL) facilities in Alberta, Canada. Included were 1,086 AL residents from 59 facilities. Research nurses completed interRAI-AL resident assessments and interviewed family caregivers and administrators. Predictors of placement were identified with multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. The cumulative incidence of LTC admission was 18.3 per cent by 12 months. Significantly increased risk for placement was evident for older residents and those with poor social relationships, little involvement in activities, cognitive and/or functional impairment, health instability, recent falls and hospitalizations/emergency department visits, and severe bladder incontinence. Residents from larger facilities, with an LPN and/or RN on-site 24/7 and with an affiliated primary care physician, showed lower risk of placement. Our findings highlight clinical and policy areas where targeted interventions may delay LTC admissions.

Few studies of older individuals have directly assessed secondary control beliefs, previously defined by Morling and Evered in 2006 as a combination of psychological adjustment and acceptance. We classified older adults (n = 223, M age = 85 years, 62% women) into three categories of secondary control beliefs: psychological adjustment only, psychological adjustment and acceptance, and neither psychological adjustment nor acceptance. Relative to individuals who emphasized beliefs about psychological adjustment only, those who emphasized a combination of secondary control beliefs (including both psychological adjustment and acceptance), reported more frequent positive emotions, greater life satisfaction, and less severe chronic conditions. Our findings have implications in both theoretical and applied contexts. Theoretically, our findings extend contemporary thinking on secondary control. In applied contexts, they suggest ways of thinking that could enhance well-being in the very old.

This article discusses the First Nations sample of a larger study on dementia care decisions and knowledge sharing. The purpose is to enhance understanding of the process of knowledge sharing among health care practitioners (HCPs), care partners, and persons with dementia (PWDs) within a rural First Nations community. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was used. Nineteen interviews were conducted at three points in time with two dementia care networks that included two PWDs, three care partners, and two HCPs. A sharing dementia care knowledge model was conceived, with the PWDs and their care partners at the centre. Knowledge sharing in the model was represented by three broad themes: (1) developing trusting relationships, (2) accessing and adapting the information, and (3) applying the information. Culturally sensitive approaches were essential to developing trusting relationships. Once developed, knowledge sharing through accessing, adapting, and applying the information was possible.

The accelerated aging of the Canadian population is a recognized fact and leads to an increasing number of seniors with cognitive impairments (Curateur public du Québec, 2010a). This has a definite impact on health professionals who have to assess their competency to live independently and manage their finances. This decision, which has important consequences for the person, must be based on an objective and rigorous assessment. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the available tools, both in the scientific literature and in clinical settings, to better document the various components to assess seniors’ competency to live independently and manage their finances. The goal is to help practitioners who work with older people with cognitive impairments to accurately assess their ability to manage themselves and their property. A review of the relevant literature and training available, as well as three group consultations, showed that there is no consensus about the tools used to assess the capacity to take care of oneself and one’s property. Additional studies are thus needed to fill the gap in knowledge about specific tools used to assess competency.

Although urinary incontinence (UI) can be managed conservatively, it is a principal reason for the breakdown of in-home family care. This study explored the social interaction processes of knowledge translation (KT) related to how UI management knowledge might be translated within in-home care. In-depth interview data were collected from a theoretical sample of 23 family caregivers, older home care recipients, and home care providers. Constant comparison and Glaser’s analysis criteria were used to create translating knowledge through relating, a substantive theory with 10 subthemes: living with the problem; building experiential knowledge; developing comfort; easing into a working relationship; nurturing mutuality; facilitating knowledge exchange; building confidence; fine-tuning knowledge; putting it all together; and managing in-home care. Findings inform both theory and practice of in-home UI KT, illuminating how intersubjectivity and bi-directional relational interactions are essential to translating in-home chronic care knowledge, which is largely tacit and experiential in nature.

Canada’s nursing homes have become increasingly dependent on immigrant health care aides. More than any other ethnic group, Filipino women are over-represented among health care aides in the Canadian health care system. This qualitative study explored the employment experiences of Filipino health care aides in nursing homes from their own perspectives as well as those of policy stakeholders. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Filipino health care aides and long-term-care policy stakeholders in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The results indicated that migrant social networks act as pathways linking immigrant women with employment opportunities in nursing homes. The composition of the labour force is also shaped by management strategies and labour market accommodations that respond to, and reinforce, these social networks. These findings have implications for workforce planning and the quality of care provision in nursing homes.

Life expectancy has increased considerably throughout the world. In Bangladesh, life expectancy has increased from about 53 years in 1975 to 69 years in 2010. However, it is unknown whether the increase in life expectancy is simultaneously accompanied by an increase in disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). The purpose of the study described in this article was to explore the relationship between life expectancy and DFLE in the Rajshahi District of Bangladesh by examining the relationships between the Active Aging Index (AAI) and DFLE. The study findings suggest that urban, more-educated, elderly males are more active in all aspects of life and have longer DFLE. Females are found to outlive males but are more likely to live a greater part of their remaining life with disability. Positive correlations between the AAI and DFLE suggest that older adults could enjoy more DFLE by involving themselves in active aging activities.

This article presents a study that directly replicated the recently developed Balanced Time Perspective Scale (BTPS; J.D. Webster, 2011) and included middle-aged and older adults. Participants included 90 younger, 69 middle-aged, and 69 older adults who completed the BTPS and a measure of life satisfaction and happiness. A factor analysis replicated original findings with separate subscales for a past orientation and a future orientation obtaining simple structure (alphas = .94 and .95 respectively). A balanced time perspective predicted higher scores on both measures of well-being replicating the original J.D. Webster (2011) findings. A chi-square analysis indicated, as predicted, that the percentage of younger adults tended to be higher in the future-focused category, and the percentage of older adults tended to be higher in the past-focused category. Implications of a balanced time perspective on mental health over the life course are discussed.

Numerous health benefits are associated with a physically active population. This study sought to discover the aerobic activity preferences among older Canadians. Four cycles of nationally representative time use data were fused with energy expenditure information to determine both participation rates and time spent in the 10 most frequently reported aerobic activities. Aerobic activity preferences are dominated by domestic chores (15% to 30% participation for about two hours per day), recreational walking (15% to 30% participation for about one hour per day), and active transportation (generally less than 5% participation for less than 30 minutes per day). Although there have been several changes in older Canadians’ revealed preferences for aerobic activities over the past three decades, the prevalence of domestic chores points towards the importance of policies that support older Canadians remaining in their homes, whereas the popularity of walking suggests that “walkability” needs to be considered in neighbourhood design.