Healthy aging for all Canadians
What can we do to promote healthy aging for all? That is the ultimate question the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) aims to answer.
Bruyère Continuing Care and the Bruyère Research Institute host one of 11 national data collection sites for the CLSA. This national study is the largest of its kind. It follows 50,000 Canadians who were between the ages of 45-85 at recruitment. The data collection started in 2011 and will span approximately 20 years.
Over the last five years, the CLSA research team has planned and implemented the study and recruited 3,170 participants for the Ottawa site. The team has completed baseline assessments including telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews, as well as visits to specially designed data collection sites.
The Bruyère Research Institute CLSA research team comprises 13 members led by Vanessa Taler, PhD. They meet with study participants from the Ottawa region every three years and collect physical, social and cognitive data.
The data collected is invaluable and available for access by Canadian researchers. Scientists and policy-makers studying issues such as hearing loss, injuries, chronic diseases and neurological conditions will be able to gain a better understanding of how we age. The interpretation of the data will allow for increased knowledge of the processes and dimensions of aging.
The study is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) strategic initiative. It was launched through grants from the Government of Canada through CIHR and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, as well as several provinces, universities and other partners.