Most older adults perceive themselves as good drivers; however, their perception may not be accurate, and could negatively affect their driving safety. This study examined the accuracy of older drivers’ self-awareness of driving ability in their everyday driving environment by determining the concordance between the perceived (assessed by the Perceived Driving Ability [PDA] questionnaire) and actual (assessed by electronic Driving Observation Schedule [eDOS]) driving performance. One hundred and eight older drivers (male: 67.6%; age: mean = 80.6 years, standard deviation [SD] = 4.9 years) who participated in the study were classified into three groups: underestimation (19%), accurate estimation (29%), and overestimation (53%). Using the demographic and clinical functioning information collected in the Candrive annual assessments, an ordinal regression showed that two factors were related to the accuracy of self-awareness: older drivers with better visuo-motor processing speed measured by the Trail Making Test (TMT)-A and fewer self-reported comorbid conditions tended to overestimate their driving ability, and vice versa.

In a completely between subjects design 80 male and 80 female undergraduates evaluated targets which were male or female and 25, 45, 65, or 85 years old, on the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD; Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969). Findings indicated that older targets were rated less positively than younger targets on two of the three ASD dimensions and that Target Age × Target Sex × Subject Age interactions were significant for two of the dimensions. These results replicate the target age (between subjects) effects reported by O'Connell and Rotter (1979) but not those which involved target sex (within subjects) and subject sex. It was concluded that a) subject sex and target sex affect perceptions of targets of different ages elicited from young subjects and b) between subjects versus within subjects designs produce different characterizations of such targets.

Quick Response Programs (QRP) have been instituted to contain hospital costs by reducing unnecessary hospital admissions through the prompt co-ordination of Home Care Services. No formal economic evaluation of the impact of this redirection of services has been conducted. This paper describes a randomized controlled trial designed to compare the costs and effects between comparable emergency department patients (ED) serviced by the QRP versus the usual department services. Patients were assessed at baseline and 10 days following discharge from the ED specifically for their health status, caregiver burden, satisfaction with health care services and expenditures. QRP was an acceptable alternative to ED services for a small percentage of patients and was not more expensive in total care costs although there was a shift in expenditures from hospital to Home Care services. Due to the small sample size the power to detect the clinically important differences in health status was 60 per cent.

In this paper the service needs of community-dwelling older persons are examined. Based on the responses from a random sample of 400 residents aged 65 and over, it is found that just over 9 percent of this population is currently using or in need of community services. Thus, the vast majority of older persons are managing without the aid of formal support services. The importance of the seemingly modest proportion of older persons requiring services is discussed. The consequences for public policy of anticipated constraints on family and women as service providers in the future are emphasized.

There is limited research addressing both resident and staff perceptions regarding the autonomy of institutionalized elderly residents, particularly in relation to their daily activities. This study determined residents' and their caregivers' perceptions of residents' latitude of choice regarding daily living activities. The study was conducted in two intermediate care facilities within Vancouver B.C. Study questionnaires were provided to 45 intermediate care residents and 45 nurses. Through three non-parametric statistical techniques, significant differences were found to exist between residents' and staff's perceptions. The study findings indicated that residents' extent of choice over daily activities of importance to them may not be realized to a greater extent if the staff do not attach a similar degree of importance to a particular activity. This study also indicates that, with some activities, staff do not perceive residents associating little or no choice with activities of particular importance to them.

Little is known as yet about the impact of telesurveillance services on social participation. To document the interaction between telesurveillance services and social participation of the elderly living at home, a study was conducted in the context of a government call center employing nurses. A focus group study was realized with elders (n=4), caregivers (n=6), healthcare system practitioners and industry employees (n=7). A qualitative analysis was performed using the Disability Creation Process model and generally accepted criteria for evaluating telehealth interventions. The results showed, on the one hand, factors that facilitate the use of telesurveillance services (user's intellectual capabilities, acceptance of clinical settings, relevance of recommendations, cost of service, and accessibility) and, on the other, factors that reinforce such use (user behaviors; level of satisfaction; impact on informal caregiver; system's level of performance; technical features; and life-habit aspects such as personal transportation, sleep, housekeeping, personal care, interpersonal relationships, and recreational activities).

This study explored the determinants of self-rated health and happiness for elderly, institutionalized Canadians in the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey: Health Institutions. Separate ordinal logistic regression models were developed for self-rated health and happiness in a subsample of 780 elderly residents. The results indicate that older Canadians in institutions vary in their ratings of their health and happiness, and that demographic characteristics, illness-related factors, disability and social integration predict these variations. Both self-rated good health and happiness were consistently associated with being older, having fewer chronic diseases, fewer perceived memory difficulties and less pain. Whereas good health was associated with higher education and independence in ambulation, happiness was associated with greater grasping ability, more frequent attendance at group activities in the institution and the community and having a flexible schedule. These findings have important implications since many of the factors identified are potentially modifiable through rehabilitative and nursing interventions.

Assessing the burden linked to caring for the frail elderly is becoming an important issue in rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to translate/validate the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale into French for use in Canada. This easy-to-use questionnaire evaluates aspects of burden such as objective, subjective stress and subjective demand burden. The instrument underwent: 1) parallel translation/back-translation; 2) expert's committee review leading to an experimental version; 3) pre-test to ensure wording clarity; and 4) study of psychometric properties with bilingual subjects (n = 27) and French-speaking subjects (n = 18). Results suggest that convergence between the original and the French versions is satisfactory for two of the three sub-scales of the MBCBS (ICC 0.83 et 0.96). The test-retest stability coefficients are also very good (ICC of 0.92 et 0.91), as is internal consistency (0.90, 0.66). The objective burden sub-scale correlates moderately with a measure of functional autonomy (SMAF). Results for the subjective burden scale linked to demand are, however, inadequate. All in all, two of the three sub-scales of the French-Canadian version of the Montgomery Borgatta Caregiver Burden Scale demonstrate adequate psychometric properties, thereby favouring its use in geriatric rehabilitation.

This study, the first published overview of aging in a nationally representative sample of First Nations seniors, used data from the First Nations Regional Health Survey Phase 2 (FNRHS 2). It is also the first application of a validated frailty index to describe aging experiences in First Nations communities. Responding to the survey were 11,043 First Nations adults. Of the 1,820 First Nations seniors who responded, 52.7 per cent (95% CI [49.4−56.1]) were not frail. The maintenance of non-frail status in First Nations adults appeared to decrease in each middle-adult age group (from 87.9% in ages 35–44 through to 63.1% in ages 55–64) and to plateau after age 65. The findings are a key step in documenting the experiences of First Nations seniors nationally from a First Nations perspective. They also highlight the key need for supportive health services and chronic disease management at younger ages.

Across the globe, long-term care has been under increased pressure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first study to examine the experiences and needs of long-term care staff and management during COVID-19, in the Canadian context. Our group conducted online survey research with 70 staff and management working at public long-term care facilities in central Canada, using validated quantitative measures to examine perceived stress and caregiver burden; and open-ended items to explore stressors, ways of coping, and barriers to accessing mental health supports. Findings indicate moderate levels of stress and caregiver burden, and highlight the significant stressors associated with working in long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., rapid changes in pandemic guidelines, increased workload, “meeting the needs of residents and families”, fear of contracting COVID-19 and COVID-19 coming into long-term care facilities, and concern over a negative public view of long-term care staff and facilities). A small subset (13.2%) of our sample identified accessing mental health supports to cope with work-related stress, with most participants identifying barriers to seeking help. Novel findings of this research highlight the significant and unmet needs of this high-risk segment of the population.

Objective: To compare demographic and functional characteristics of elderly users and non-users of home care services in urban Nova Scotia (n = 533) and Newfoundland (n = 449) using a cross sectional study design.

Results: More Nova Scotians (24%) than Newfoundlanders (11%) received home care services. In both provinces, most ADL-dependent people do not receive home care services, and most home care users are not ADL dependent. In Newfoundland, home care users were more likely to be ADL dependent and to have dementia; this was not the case in Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia being over age 85 without a supporter in the same residence, not being married, and having an IADL limitation significantly increased the likelihood of home care use. IADL impaired subjects in Newfoundland were also more likely to receive home care.

Conclusions: If home care is to substitute for institutional care, existing home care programs must be prepared to adapt to a new type of user.

The goal of the study was to investigate the issue of informed consent for mental capacity. Seventeen clients referred to the Competency Clinic at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care were interviewed after the assessment had been completed. Their responses to questions regarding the reasons for and possible consequences of the assessment indicated a range of understanding and of capacity to give informed consent. The results are discussed in terms of the appropriateness of having a fairly low threshold for informed consent in situations where other capacities are already in question.

The purpose of this study was to describe the elderly marital partners' perceptions of conjugal support and coping strategies and the relationship between these perceptions and their well-being. A multistage sample of 135 community-dwelling elderly couples, 65 years of age and over, was drawn from users and non-users of the health and social systems in a large metropolitan area. A series of questionnaires, presented within an interview format, were used to measure the variables. Each spouse was separately interviewed at home. Paired t-tests revealed that husbands tended to perceive more support from their spouse and to use less external social support than wives when coping with daily problems. Intraclass coefficients of correlation between husbands' and wives' coping strategies were only low to moderate. However, for both marital partners, results revealed significant positive correlations between availability and reciprocity of conjugal support and well-being and a negative association between conflict within the conjugal relationship and well-being. Only two cognitive coping strategies, namely reframing and active appraisal were positively related to the well-being of both spouses. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that congruency of perception between husbands and wives had an effect only on wives' well-being. These findings suggest psychosocial interventions and are discussed in relation to previous studies and future research.

Data from the Quebec Health Survey (QHS) were used to examine the influence of physical health status on responses to the somatic and affective-cognitive components ofthe QHS psychological distress inventory (PDI) in three age groups (n = 600): 18–39 years, 40–64 years and 65 years and over. A structural equation modelling strategy using LISKEL VIII was employed to test an explanatory model of the association between physical health and both components of the PDI. The model included sex, perceived life stress, social support, and marital status as covariates. Results showed that the affective-cognitive component of distress was the main explanatory factor in the somatic symptom index. Results also indicated that physical health directly affects responses to the somatic component of the PDI. However, the same effect of physical health on responses to somatic symptoms was found in all three age groups. Findings lead to the conclusion that using a psychological distress measure that includes somatic items, like the PDI, will result in a small overestimation of psychological distress in older adults and younger age groups as well. However, somatic items do not introduce a differential bias in the estimation of respondents' psychological distress status according to age.

The purpose of this study was to provide an empirical measure of bedroom personalization and a descriptive characterization of the types of items included in a personalized space. The study compared the extent of personalization in three types of bedrooms, varying as to their homelike quality (private-homelike, private-institutional, and ward-institutional). A measure of the relative degree of personalization was obtained by recording the number of personal items for each room and dividing the number of items per room by each room's available vertical and horizontal surface area. The degree of personalization was found to be significantly greater in private-homelike rooms than in private-institutional or ward-institutional rooms. This study provides the first demonstration that personalization of a resident's bedroom can be quantified and opens the way for studies of factors contributing to the effect (e.g., facility regulations, family, and staff attitudes) and empirical studies of presumed consequences (e.g., resident satisfaction and improved functioning).

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of aging on the ability a) to name famous faces and b) to access biographical knowledge about famous people from different modalities of presentation (faces and names). Healthy elderly subjects (n = 117) divided into three different age groups were assessed using a semantic memory test of famous people. Results of this study indicate a decline in naming performance between oldest and youngest groups. In contrast, no difference between groups was found in terms of the ability to access semantic knowledge about famous people. Finally, a main effect of modality of presentation (faces vs. names) was found, revealing greater ability to identify famous people in the verbal (names) than in the visual modality (faces). Taken together, results of this study may contribute to developing new cognitive intervention programs in older adults presenting with proper-name anomia.

The goodness-of-fit hypothesis contends that distress results due to incongruence between choice of coping strategies and perceived ability to change stressful stimuli. Goal-directed or active coping responses are believed to be most efficacious when the individual believes s/he can change or control perceived threats (i.e., problem-focused coping). Instances in which stressors must be accepted, however, would dictate reliance upon strategies to regulate distress (i.e., emotion-focused coping). Inconsistent support for this facet of Lazarus and Folkman's cognitive phenomenological model was obtained in this study of spouses of suspected dementia patients. The distinction between emotion- and problem-focused coping appears less germane than overall coping efforts relative to perceived control and caregiver burden. In addition, perceived ability to control dementia-related stressors appears to be somewhat independent of coping by caregivers. These findings are discussed in terms of the unique and chronic demands faced by spouses of persons with dementia.

In the first of two experiments designed to investigate perceived cognitive abilities of young and old targets, 80 female undergraduates estimated the performance of either a young or an old target on several subtests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS; Wechsler, 1955). Experiment 2, with 120 respondents, extended Experiment 1 to include respondent sex and target sex variables, and additional WAIS subtests. The results of the two experiments suggest a highly differentiated view of cognitive abilities. On subtests related primarily to memory and psychomotor speed, the old targets were seen as less cognitively able than the young targets. On a subtest assessing practical judgment and common sense old targets were seen as superior to young targets. On subtests assessing computational abilities and logical abstractive thinking no reliable target age differences were found. Neither target sex nor respondent sex played a substantial role in target age perceptions. Compared to available norms estimates xvere unrealistically generous, particularly in the case of older adults. However the pattern of estimates across cognitive abilities reflected, to a substantial degree, the age-related differences in the norms.

This article explores the factors determining whether older adults engage in the Senior Games and related leisure-time physical activity through examining the adults’ salient beliefs. We conducted 10 in-depth interviews with older adults who have participated in the Senior Games. Underpinned by the planned behavior theory’s framework, we explored three types of beliefs: advantages and disadvantages (behavioral beliefs), social support and pressure (normative beliefs), and facilitators and impediments (control beliefs). Interview respondents were found to engage in the Senior Games and related physical activity to the extent that they associated various intangible advantages with the games and valued psychological satisfaction. They viewed their peers and families as supporting and approving of their engagement and recognized the physical capabilities required, and structural constraints necessary, to engage in the games and related activity. With these findings, pertinent beliefs can be combined with interventions designed to encourage leisure-time physical activities by older adults.