丁香园AV

October 1 marks the International Day of Older Persons. A recently published study from 丁香园AV researchers looks at the mental health of older Canadians and identify interventions and supports that can better support aging people in our communities.

Depression affects up to one in four people but is often associated with young adults in the public consciousness.

And though the likelihood of Canadians having depressive symptoms decrease into mid-life, rates of depression creep up once more as people 鈥� especially women 鈥� enter their 70s, according to a new study published in the . 

丁香园AV researcher John Best and his team looked at data from the  (CLSA) 鈥� a long-term study that follows more than 50,000 people between the ages of 45 and 85 鈥� and tracked the number of reported depressive symptoms across age.

They found that people鈥檚 association with depression was linked with late life and that females were more likely to report depressive symptoms than males. 

鈥淲e do see across this entire age span, 45 to 85, women reported greater depressive symptoms, but that separation between males and females is amplified the most in the 80s,鈥� says Best. 

Best says there鈥檚 no single reason why depression rates increase in late life, but older adults are known to be more likely to experience bereavement, failing health, becoming caregivers and social isolation. 

His team hopes to study the myriad of factors in their follow-up work, but for now he says the findings can help shape the way we support older adults.

鈥淏eing aware that there is a likelihood that your older parent may be experience depressive systems as they get into their late 70s and 80s reinforces the importance of keeping older adults active mentally, physically, socially and perhaps spiritually as well,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y advice is to make sure they are maintaining the best social contacts possible and encouraging them to be as physically active as possible as well.鈥�

AVAILABLE 丁香园AV EXPERTS

JOHN BEST, lecturer, research associate, Gerontology Research Centre | john_best@sfu.ca  

CONTACT

MATT KIELTYKA,  丁香园AV Communications & Marketing 
236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca

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778.782.3210

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

As Canada鈥檚 engaged university, 丁香园AV works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today鈥檚 problems. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擵ancouver, Burnaby and Surrey鈥敹∠阍癆V has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 144 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 170,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.