New study will find out what it means to become older

Vanessa Taler, assistant professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and scientist at the Bruyère Research Institute, is the co-lead site investigator for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). The largest study on aging ever done in Canada, CLSA is a national, long-term project that will follow 50,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 for at least 20 years. The study will collect information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of people’s lives.

“It’s really about quality of life," says Taler. "The purpose of the study is to find out what it means to become older, what affects us and what challenges come along the way. The results will help us understand why some people age in a more healthy way than others.”

Participants will be asked questions about physical, social and emotional functioning, lifestyle and behaviour, as well as health conditions and diseases. At the Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute, one of 11 sites across Canada, height and weight measurements, vision and hearing tests, blood pressure and cardiovascular measures, a bone density scan, and strength and balance tests will be conducted. Participants will visit the Data Collection Site every three years, with follow-up telephone interviews 18 months after each visit.

“In the coming years, as our society becomes older, we will need to be a more aging-friendly population and eliminate barriers for older people,” says Taler. The results will help to answer many questions and may help identify, for example, the causes of diabetes or the reasons why some people develop mental health disorders. Ultimately, the study will produce a data platform that will help researchers search information on various social and health issues and answer questions.

The CLSA is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind undertaken to date, not only in Canada but around the world. Taler feels fortunate to be a part of such a broad project. “I am looking forward to working with the data and looking at some of the information that will be produced in this study,” she says. “I believe that overall, it will change our attitude towards older people, once we know more about how people age and what it means to become older.”

Visit the CLSA website for more information.

Text: Geneviève Joly
Photo: Robert Lacombe
Publication date: November 2012