Les aînés sont souvent perçus comme des témoins peu fiables, une perception qui est partiellement appuyée par des travaux qui démontrent que les témoignages des aînés tendent à être moins détaillés que ceux produits par des témoins plus jeunes. L’entretien cognitif est une technique d’interrogatoire qui repose sur des stratégies de rappel issues des sciences cognitives. Plusieurs travaux récents démontrent l’efficacité de l’entretien cognitif auprès d’échantillons de jeunes adultes. Toutefois, la recherche portant sur l’utilisation de l’entretien cognitif auprès de témoins âgés est récente et en développement. Le présent article effectue une synthèse des travaux portant sur l’efficacité de l’entretien cognitif auprès d’aînés ainsi qu’une méta-analyse des données publiées à ce jour. La méta-analyse comprend sept études traitant des performances de participants aînés et comparant l’efficacité de l’entretien cognitif à celle obtenue en employant d’autres techniques de rappel. Les résultats démontrent une augmentation du nombre de détails corrects rappelés quand l’entretien cognitif est utilisé. Cependant, les données actuelles ne permettent pas de conclusion valide pour le nombre de détails incorrects ou sur l’exactitude du rappel. La discussion présente les forces et faiblesses des travaux publiés à ce jour de manière à favoriser le développement futur de ce domaine de recherche.

A community-based program is increasingly recognized as promoting health and active social participation in one’s life, yet information is lacking about the use and impact of such programs among immigrant visible minority seniors. This mixed-method research evaluated the impact of a cultural community program for Korean immigrant seniors by examining participants’ health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) benefits and overall well-being. In this study, 79 participants completed the SF-36v2 questionnaire twice to assess the impact of Canada Enoch Senior’s College (CESC) program on their HR-QOL and well-being. Statistically significant improvement in physical and mental health domains was observed: bodily pain and role limitations due to emotional problems. Qualitative data from participants’ interviews supported the survey findings with positive contributions in health and social arenas of seniors’ lives. These results suggest that the CESC program contributes to quality of life and well-being of Korean senior participants and supports similar community-based cultural programs.

This study aimed to explore the impact of an awareness tool for relatives of older drivers (OSCARPA) on i) their interest, openness and knowledge, ii) changes of abilities required for safe driving, and iii) utilization of compensatory strategies. A pre-experimental design with pretest (T0) and post-test (T1) eight to ten weeks after the intervention was realized with 45 relatives in contact with an older driver of 65 years old or older and who was driving at least once a week. Overall, the results demonstrated that OSCARPA increased i) interest, openness and knowledge of relatives (p<0.001), as well as their perceptions of ii) changes of abilities of older drivers (p=0.02), and iii) their utilization of compensatory strategies (p=0.001). Future studies would be relevant to further evaluate and increase the effectiveness of OSCARPA.

This study examined hope in long-term care residents with cancer from the perspectives of both residents and health care providers (HCPs). Clinical data established that the prevalence of a cancer diagnosis in the study facility (15%) was similar to other estimates in the literature. Eight experienced HCPs were interviewed. Ten residents with a cancer diagnosis were interviewed, and they completed the Herth Hope Index (HHI). Dimensions of hope and contextual factors that shape hope emerged as themes for both HCPs and residents, but reflected their different perspectives. HCPs identified hope as integral to care. HHI scores were high, indicating residents were generally hopeful. The study findings suggest that for the small but complex subgroup of long-term care (LTC) residents who have a diagnosis of cancer, hope is not lost, but rather it is relevant, nuanced, and possible to attain.

The hidden nature of older adult mistreatment renders its detection in the domestic setting particularly challenging. A validated screening instrument that can provide a systematic assessment of risk factors can facilitate this detection. One such instrument, the “expanded Indicators of Abuse” tool, has been previously validated in the Hebrew language in a hospital setting. The present study has contributed to the validation of the “e-IOA” in an English-speaking community setting in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of two phases: (a) a content validity review and adaptation of the instrument by experts throughout Ontario, and (b) an inter-rater reliability assessment by home visiting nurses. The adaptation, the “Mistreatment of Older Adult Risk Factors” tool, offers a comprehensive tool for screening in the home setting. This instrument is significant to professional practice as practitioners working with older adults will be better equipped to assess for risk of mistreatment.

Community-dwelling seniors increasingly require physical assistance to perform the activities of daily living (ADL). To examine the possible association of this need with psychological distress, we conducted a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling people age 75 and older in Montreal, Canada. We report the results for women only (n = 530). Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between met and unmet need in instrumental ADL (IADL) and personal ADL (PADL) with concomitant psychological distress. Unmet IADL need was associated with elevated psychological distress [β = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.26, 0.60)], as was met IADL need [β = 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.33)], but not met and unmet PADL need. The full model explained 32.8 per cent of the total variance in psychological distress. Receiving assistance to meet IADL needs is associated with elevated psychological distress. Not receiving assistance, however, is associated with even greater distress.

Few studies of the risks of institutionalization of the elderly have had fully specified models using multivariate analysis, and several studies have examined highly selected populations, making their generalizability uncertain. We set out to examine the risks of institutionalization in elderly people in Nova Scotia. A case-control study, executed as part of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging examined 108 incident institutional cases and 533 community-dwelling elderly controls, using a standardized assessment interview conducted by trained interviewers. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that advancing age, presence of dementia, functional impairment, poor self-rated health, recent hospital admission, and absence of a caregiver were important risks for entry into long term care. Institutions providing long-term care for the elderly need to be able to look after populations with a high prevalence of dementia and functional impairment.