Brock partners with older adults
We all have one thing in common, we are getting older every day … but this might be a good thing for Niagara residents.
The Niagara region has become one of the highest populations of adults over the age of 65 in Canada, offering many features valuable to older adults (e.g., reasonable housing prices, warmer southern Ontario climate, public transit, etc.).
As of 2014, roughly 20 per cent of the population of Niagara was made up of people aged 65 and older, a number that is expected to continue to rise in years to come. In response to this demographic shift, Niagara has joined the Age-Friendly Initiative led by the World Health Organization, seeking to improve the lives of seniors throughout the region’s municipalities.
The Lifespan Centre at Brock University is also focused on the health and well-being of older adults and providing relevant research to the Niagara region. This centre is a hub for researchers who are interested in studying how we change across the lifespan. With more than 60 faculty members, the centre is known for its research excellence and practical implications.
Faculty members at the Lifespan Centre study a broad range of subjects. Some of our research with older adults examines topics such as health and wellbeing, memory, face recognition, brain development and emotion regulation. Our research has generated some interesting new findings.
For example, did you know that stress and adjusting to new situations impacts older adults differently than younger individuals? Or that older adults are typically better at remembering to do tasks in the future (e.g., not forgetting to pick up the milk on the way home)? Have you ever had a hard time remembering a face? Well, our research shows that this ability may improve as you age.
A large focus of the Lifespan Centre is to get knowledge out to those who can use it, such as community members, organizations, and decision makers. Our efforts include a community speaker series at Brock University, regular newsletters to community members with our latest findings, creating a community outreach program (Growing with Brock), and developing community partnerships. Currently, the Lifespan Centre is looking to launch a seniors research advisory council, in which older adults can provide their perspective to our researchers. As evidenced by the rise of local older adult advisory committees and the vital change they have brought, it is clear that older adults provide valuable and insightful voices. The Lifespan Centre at Brock University is hoping to provide a forum for older adults’ voices and to involve the older adult community in the research process.
As one of our first older adult initiatives, the Lifespan Centre is organizing a community talk with Dr. Karen Campbell, a Canada Research Chair in cognitive ne uro science and aging, which will be held on May 31, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Brock University. Dr. Campbell’s talk will explore the cognitive changes that occur with normal human aging (for more on her work visit www.brockcnalab.com). The honorary chair for the evening is Doug Rapelje, Niagara resident and accomplished lifelong advocate for seniors in Niagara. All community members are invited to attend this event free of charge.
To learn more about the Lifespan Centre and its initiatives such as the seniors research advisory council, the upcoming speaker series or to receive updates on our research, please email growing@ brocku.ca or call us at 905-6885550 ext. 5533.
Together, with the Niagara community, the Lifespan Centre hopes to gain a better understanding of how we all grow and change, and use this information to help our partners make Niagara better for everyone. https://brocku.ca/lifespandevelopment-research