Telephone interviews with 300 elderly Montreal residents found that 67 percent use shopping malls to fulfill social and leisure needs. Predisposing variables (age, gender, education, and loneliness) and environmental/encouraging variables (design and ambiance of the malls) were found to be related to this activity. (SK)

A researcher observed older adults participating in planning meetings and a Search Conference to identify community needs. Participants were successfully engaged in addressing important health and social needs. Participant observation was validated as a flexible, effective means of collecting data on older persons whose circumstances might make…

Reviews sociological gerontology in Canada in four areas: (1) inequality, population aging, and the social construction of aging; (2) retirement and income security; (3) health, health care services, and health policy; and (4) family relations and caregiving. Identifies the importance of social structures for individual experience of aging.…

Data from a sample of 595 Canadians who care for elderly relatives suggest that the spatial arrangement of home, workplace, and the relative have an impact on stress. Travel time to work and to the elder impinge on work and family responsibilities. Most respondents sought to modify the home-elder axis rather than the home-work axis. (SK)

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a French version of the Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) (Troyer & Rich, 2002). The MMQ, which is suited to clinical and research purposes, evaluates subjective memory functioning (i.e., affect related to memory abilities, frequency of problems remembering in different…

Although progress has been made over the last 20 years, the burden of a low income in old age is still carried by unattached women. Few researchers, however, have examined exactly where the burden of poverty falls within the category of unattached older women or what the nature of this poverty is. Like any other group of older Canadians,…

Warfarin dosing for thromboprophylaxis in post-operative patients is time-consuming. Warfarin-dosing nomograms can be used in post-operative arthroplasty patients, but warfarin requirements are lower in frail older people. We modified an existing post-arthroplasty nomogram to a frail-friendly version and evaluated its performance in a frail…

Rates of sexual activity have been found to decline over the life course, as individuals experience marital transitions and the loss of partners, health problems, and decreased sexual interest. This article compares and contrasts earlier and later-life sexual experiences and examines the changing meanings that older women ascribe to sexuality over…

The utilization of health services by older adults has received increased attention over the past decade, but little is known about how service utilization varies between rural and urban areas. In an era of restructuring and downsizing within the Canadian health care system, there are concerns that rural older adults may be increasingly…

Reviews the legal framework of age discrimination cases, examines current attitudes and practices regarding retirement, and outlines the major arguments in the mandatory retirement debate. The contrasting principles of individual versus comparative justice are emphasized. (SK)

Randomly assigned to 1 of 156 conditions, 256 adults evaluated either a patronizing or a neutral conversation between a nurse and an elderly nursing home resident. Nurses using patronizing styles were viewed as less respectful or nurturant and residents as less satisfied. Results held true for personal situation topics but not for resident…

Interviews with 14 middle-class women aged 59-85 uncovered contradictions between their need for support and security and desire to be independent and self-sufficient. Low expectations of public services and a sense of marginality in their families exacerbated the conflict. Ways to help elderly women shape supportive environments were proposed.…

The assumption of a study was that self rather than role forms the link between individuals and society. Data obtained through participant observation and 142 interviews with elderly women revealed that their identity is deeply embedded within their informal involvements and social network ties. (SK)

Gathering qualitative data on ethnic elders through different kinds of interviews (conversational, guided, and standardized open ended) raises certain questions about using native-speaking interviewers, translators, or bilingual researchers and ensuring that interviewers understand the cultural context. (SK)

We describe the age-specific outcomes for patients hospitalized with newly diagnosed congestive heart failure using administrative hospital abstracts from Alberta, Canada, from April 1, 1994, to March 31, 2000. Seniors (aged 65 years and older) constituted about 85 per cent of the 16,162 patients. Both co-morbidity and severity of illness tended…