We aim to describe older mens’ experiences with physical activity (PA) and their preferences for PA programs. We interviewed 14 men from a Canada-based PA intervention study called Men on the Move, and 5 men from a supplementary sample (who were not intervention participants). Content analysis was used to describe their experiences with PA and program preferences. The socio-ecological perspective and the hegemonic masculinity framework guided the research. PA barriers were low motivation, poor health, lack of time, interests other than PA and a lack of interest in PA, finances, lack of knowledge about PA, injury fear, social influences, inconvenience, weather, caregiving, built/natural environments, low-quality fitness instructors, and program structure. PA facilitators were chores, health, interest, time, motivation, social influences, active transportation, built/natural environments, good weather, program structure, and skilled/knowledgeable fitness instructors. PA program preferences were small group atmosphere, individualized attention/programming, equal number of men and women, sports programming, PA classes, and experienced instructors. Older men have distinct PA experiences. Promoting and designing programs that address their experiences may increase their PA.

One third of older adults in Canada are foreign-born, yet there is a dearth of literature on this population. When our team set out to engage in a mixed-methods study on the physical activity and mobility of foreign-born older adults (FBOAs), we found limited guidance. The objective of this Research Note is to share the lessons that we learned in implementing a mixed-methods study in five languages, with 49 visible minority FBOAs from diverse ethno-cultural groups. With an emphasis on practical implementation, here we share our reflections on early community engagement, linguistic accessibility and literacy considerations, facilitating communication with the research team, creating a support role for multilingual family members, organisational suggestions, and working with interpreters and monolingual transcribers. The older Canadian population is projected to become increasingly diverse in the coming decades, and it is our hope that this note will further facilitate research in this understudied area.

Most older Canadians do not engage in sufficient physical activity. There is an urgent need for outside-the-box strategies that encourage and sustain active lifestyles. Video is a promising knowledge translation (KT) tool to engage diverse audiences in discussion and action around health promoting behaviours. We adopted a KT framework to inform a structured process of video development we have named systematic approach to evidence-informed video (SAEV). This guided the creation and dissemination of a 19-minute documentary video: I’d Rather Stay (https://vimeo.com/80503957). Following screenings, we collected focus group and questionnaire data from 48 participants aged 60 years and older at baseline and 6-month follow-up. The video educated, encouraged, and activated older people around issues such as independence, physical activity and social connectedness. We encourage researchers to adopt KT strategies – and to use evidence-informed video – that older adults can relate to and critically engage with on an accessible, emotional, and intellectual level.

The World Health Organization claims that mobility is vital to healthy ageing and is the best guarantee of older adults being able to cope and remain in their homes and communities. Mobility enables older adults to maintain their physical health, independence and participation in society. In general, mobility is examined objectively, from a quantitative perspective where mobility is measured as physical movement (e.g. physical activity) and/or travel behaviour (e.g. trips, modes and distances). The predominant focus on the functional aspects of mobility tends to overlook the subjective (e.g. perceptions, attitudes and motivations) and temporal dimensions of older adults’ mobility experiences. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, we conducted 24 in-depth interviews with six highly active community-dwelling older adults with low income, aged 65 or over, over a period of four years. Our analysis identified the following themes: maintaining a sense of self, being resourceful, openness to engagement, engaging in superficial contact, experiencing social capital, accessing transportation, leaving the immediate neighbourhood and facing affordability. Findings illustrate that intrapersonal factors, in addition to environmental (built, social and cultural) and temporal-level factors, play a crucial role in mobility. In the future, this gained knowledge can be incorporated into approaches to study the multiple interrelated factors and their interrelations that influence older adults’ mobility.

The literature has documented a positive relationship between walkable built environments and outdoor mobility in older adults. Yet, surprisingly absent is any consideration of how weather conditions modify the impact of neighbourhood walkability. Using archived weather data linked to survey data collected from a sample of older adults in Vancouver, Canada, we found that car-dependent neighbourhoods (featuring longer block lengths, fewer intersections, and greater distance to amenities) became inaccessible in snow. Even older adults who lived in very walkable neighbourhoods walked to 25 per cent fewer destinations in snow. It is crucial to consider the impact of weather in the relationship between neighbourhood walkability and older adult mobility.

We provide an in-depth description of the mobility (capacity and enacted function, i.e., physical activity and travel behaviour) of community-dwelling older adults of low socioeconomic status. Participants [n = 161, mean age (range) = 74 (65-96) years] completed interviewer-administered questionnaires and objective measures of mobility. Our findings did not generally indicate that older adults of low socioeconomic status have a reduced capacity to be mobile. Participants presented with positive profiles across physical, psychosocial, and social environment domains that influence the capacity to be mobile. They also made a high proportion of trips by foot, although these did not together serve to meet physical activity guidelines for most. We challenge future researchers to focus on innovative strategies to recruit this difficult-to-access population, to consider the influence of socioeconomic status across the lifespan, and the role of behaviour-driven agency when investigating the association between the person, environment, and older adult mobility.

The objectives of this three-phased investigation were to (1) characterize existing recreational programming opportunities for tenants residing in assisted living (AL) and (2) gather perceptions on factors influencing activity program planning and delivery. Using an integrated knowledge translation framework during a one-year collaboration, we targeted 51 publicly funded AL sites from two health authorities in British Columbia. We conducted an activity calendar review, staff survey, and interactive symposia to identify factors that enabled or restricted recreational programming. From the information obtained, we determined that all AL sites delivered recreational programming. Although exercise and physical activity opportunities were perceived as having high importance, most activities were social. Staff reported confidence in delivering this type of programming and believed it met the holistic needs of tenants, including their mental well-being, and fostered a sense of community. Future avenues for increasing physical activity of AL tenants should address individual, site, and organizational characteristics.

This study advances the understanding of family caregiving by examining the relationship between adult children caregivers and their helpers. Specifically, it focuses on examining “who helps whom” and extends analyses beyond the dyadic focus of caregiving in later life. The focus on helping and caregiving addresses the variety of contributions and responsibilities involving not only the caregiver who was the target respondent in this research, but also others identified as helpers in the provision of care.

The data for this study are derived from the Work and Eldercare Research group of CARNET: The Canadian Aging Research Network. Secondary analysis of CARNET data focuses on data collected from 250 individuals with significant caregiving responsibilities for at least one older person. Findings extend Kahn & Antonucci's convoys of social support model (1981) and Cantor's model of social care (1991) by disentangling some of the dimensions of helping and caregiving, such as the distinction between direct and assistive help.

An estimated 36,000 home support workers assist older Canadians annually with daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and light housework, yet home support workers’ day-to-day experiences are not well understood. Mahmood and Martin-Matthews (2008) have developed a model that locates the home support worker, elderly client, and family member at the intersection of the public and private spheres framed by their social, spatial, temporal, and organizational features. This study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, examines and refines that model through an analysis of in-depth interviews with home support workers in British Columbia. Home support workers identify key issues in service delivery and discuss a range of creative solutions to complete their daily tasks efficiently, effectively, and respectfully. The study’s findings inform our understanding of home support workers’ job experiences; they also highlight those qualities that characterize exceptional workers in navigating the various domains of home support.