Physical Activity in Senior Citizens

It is well known that physical activity has numerous health benefits for people of all ages including helping the body to ward off numerous chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression. As many of these health conditions are associated with aging, the importance of physical activity is amplified for older people.

The idea of committing to a new exercise regime can be quite daunting. It has been found, however that this need not be the case. Relatively simple activities such as walking can, over time, increase one’s overall fitness level, improving metabolism as well as levels of mobility and balance. In addition, physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, or the “feel good” hormones in a person’s body. As an added bonus, spending time outdoors will increase one’s vitamin D levels, which has numerous health benefits in its own right. 

With the approach of Spring, walking becomes an increasingly realistic addition to one’s daily routine. As with all forms of exercise, it is recommended that people take care not to exert themselves too much at the beginning. Rather, it is important to begin with what is comfortable and slowly increase the distance that is covered over an extended period of time.

General Health Benefits of Physical Activity:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/?tool=pubmed

Benefits of Physical Activity in Seniors:

http://www.longwoods.com/content/18887

Bone Health:

http://www.longwoods.com/newsdetail/2192

Current Updates on Healthcare for Ontario Seniors

The Seniors Strategy is being developed with the main goal of allowing seniors to access healthcare at home. While ideally, this will allow for individuals to be more comfortable while receiving these services, it will also create more free space within hospitals, contributing to shorter wait times for those requiring on-location care or treatment.

To read more about Ontario’s Seniors Strategy visit:

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ms/ecfa/healthy_change/docs/rep_healthychange.pdf

In addition to this, new policies introduced by the Liberal party mandate that seniors who fall into the highest 5% income bracket will be required to pay an increased amount out-of-pocket for prescription drugs. In doing so, the money saved by the government is proposed to be spent on increasing home-care services for seniors, and developing patient-centered models in hospitals. These changes will be effective August 2014.

The CBC article can be viewed at:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/03/27/toronto-ontario-budget-health.html

Finally, reforms to the Ontario Budget (2008) were made in order to improve seniors’ access to healthcare. These reforms included:

• $107 million over the next three years to move towards 2,500 more personal support workers for long-term care homes. These workers, and additional nurses, will significantly improve the amount and quality of care provided to long-term care residents
• $278 million over the next three years to address various program needs in long-term care homes, in addition to the investments for nurses and personal support workers and the commitment to redevelop 35,000 older long-term care beds
• More than $700 million over the next three years to implement the Aging at Home Strategy to provide additional community services such as home care, supportive housing and other community supports. Seniors and others who are eligible will receive care at home or move to assisted living as required, keeping them independent and healthier longer
• More than $100 million over the next three years to treat Ontario Drug Benefit program recipients for neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with Lucentis, a prescription medication.

The Ontario Budget 2008 can be viewed at: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/ontariobudgets/2008/chpt1e.html

Ontario Gerontology Association Positive Aging Award

Much of the time, when one is asked to consider the process of aging, ideas such as mental and physical decline come to mind. The health concerns, bed-blocking, and financial strain of elderly individuals receive much media attention and concern. This is not unreasonable, as these factors do cause many people to become increasingly vulnerable and dependant upon others as they continue to age.

In spite of this, the OGA recognises and celebrates the fact that there are a number of elderly individuals who do not live in such circumstances. Many of them are active members of their community, making invaluable contributions. The OGA places much focus on the promotion of Positive Aging, which has lead to the recent development of the Positive Aging Award.

The Positive Aging Award is offered to an individual over the age of 65 who has clearly demonstrated the positive impact they have had upon a community. The first ever Positive Aging Award was presented to Mississauga Mayor Hazel Mccallon at the OGA’s 2011 Annual Conference.

 Mayor Hazel Mccallon with her award, OGA 2011 Annual Conference (Photo by Irene Borins Ash)

This year the positive aging award will be presented to The Honourable David Crombie.

David Crombie has served as mayor of Toronto, member of parliament and federal cabinet minister. He is the former president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, former chair of Ontario Place Corporation and founding chair of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust. 

He has received honorary degrees from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Seneca College.

David Crombie is president of David Crombie and Associates Inc. and currently serves as chair of the Advisory Council for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), a director of Mount Pleasant Cemetaries Group and chair of the Toronto Lands Corporation. 
David Crombie is chancellor emeritus of Ryerson University and an honorary fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.  He has been appointed to the Order of Ontario and as an officer to the Order of Canada.

Photo By Irene Borins Ash

Recently in the News...

The NDP and Conservative parties have both tabled bills designed to improve the quality of life of seniors. The parties aim to ensure that eligible seniors are recieving their guaranteed income suppliments, and to combat elder abuse, respectively.
The Globe And Mail article can be viewed at the link below:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ndp-conservatives-table-bills-aimed-at-boosting-seniors-quality-of-life/article2370269/

It has been noted that the routine screening processes employed by airports, which involve removing jackets and shoes can be stressful for elderly travellers. In response, some US airports have begun relaxing their pat-down rules toward seniors, considered a low-risk group. If successful, this model will be adopted on a broader scale.
The Toronto Star article can be viewed at the link below:
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1146396--elderly-passengers-can-skip-pat-downs-at-some-u-s-airports

OGA Activities

The OGA has been spending much time in preparation for the 2012 Annual Conference. This year it will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton at Pearson Airport in Toronto and will run from Wednesday, April 25^th – Thursday, April 26^th. A large part of the organisation of this conference involves selecting our key speakers. The speakers we have lined up for this year are:

1. Dr Geoff Fernie, presenting Innovations to Help Make Ontario the Best Place to Grow Older

Geoff Fernie, Vice President, Research at Toronto Rehab, BSc, PhD, MIMechE, CEng, PEng, CCE

Dr. Geoff Fernie will address the Innovations element of the conference theme. As a renowned innovator he will focus on how innovations can help make Ontario the best place to grow older. He will also highlight innovations in the posters prior to the start of the Poster session.

2. Arlene S. Bierman presenting Fostering Active Aging in Ontario: Optimizing Quality of Care and Quality of Life

Dr. Arlene Bierman is a geriatrician, Associate Professor in the Lawrence F. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing; and of Health Policy, Evaluation, and Management; and Medicine at the University of Toronto; and Senior Scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital. Dr. Bierman is also a member of the Scientific Committee for the Ontario Health Study and Chair of the Aging Working Group. She is an inaugural holder of Echo's Ontario Women's Health Council Chair in Women's Health.

Drawing from findings from the Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence‐Based Report (POWER Study) an overview of the health and functional status as well of access, quality, and outcomes of health care will be presented. Differences on these measures associated with gender, socioeconomic status and ethnicity will be discussed along with implications for policy and practice. Innovative approaches to optimizing quality of life and fostering active aging will be outlined.

The final two speakers are:

3. Dr. Sinha 

Dr. Sinha is the Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network Hospitals in Toronto, Assistant Professor of Medicine at U of T, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

 

4. Dr. Glouberman

Dr Glouberman is the President of the Patients’ Association of Canada, Philosopher in Residence at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and an adjunct at the University of Toronto.

 

Together, Dr. Sinha and Dr. Gouberman will be leading the panel presentation entitled Making Ontario the Best Place to Grow Older Through Innovation. This presentation is intended as a wrap-up session which will incorporate many of the topics previously discussed throughout the conference.

For a full conference program please visit:

http://www.gerontario.org/files/File/OGA%20conference%20program%202012.pdf

To register online for the conference please visit:

http://www.regonline.ca/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=994691

A Printable registration form is available at:

http://www.gerontario.org/index.php?symbol=conference.htm

We look forward to seeing you there…

Seniors in the workforce

This short video shows that even business has started to realize that older people are not OLD and that they can continue to contribute in the workplace and elsewhere.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw3_n5oN4ls

Similarly, this Toronto Star Article argues that Older workers age 60-plus represent 8 per cent of the workforce, but account for 30 per cent of new job gains .Vanessa Lu February 24, 2012

Older workers aren’t just staying in the labour market, they’re boosting it. It’s another example of a demographic squeeze changing the labour landscape.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1135742--older-workers-age-60-plus-represent-8-per-cent-of-the-workforce-but-account-for-30-per-cent-of-new-job-gains