There isn't any avoiding it. Day by day, all Canadians – from newborns to seniors – are getting older. In fact, the country's large population of baby boomers is rapidly approaching retirement age. In 2011, the first of the generation will turn 65; by 2015, there will be more people in Canada over the age of 65 than under 15.
The good news is that as medical science marches forward, we're living longer, on average. Data released in 2008 by Statistics Canada showed that the average life expectancy was 80.4 years in 2005 – up from 77.8 in 1991.
Of course, living longer isn't all it is cracked up to be if we're not well enough to enjoy it. Statistically, we're far more prone to developing diseases like cancer, Parkinson's or diabetes as we reach the golden years. Many people are also likely to become less active and give up the things they once loved to do, both in the realm of work and recreation. However, contrary to popular belief, there's nothing about aging that makes any of this
"There are some changes that we assume are a natural part of aging when actually, they're a natural part of becoming sedentary," explains U of L exercise physiologist
Dr. Jennifer Copeland.
For instance: while muscle loss is unavoidable, aging muscle can adapt to physical activity just as well as young muscles. Bone density does decrease, but by maintaining physical fitness over time, you can make sure you've got plenty in the bank for your senior years.
"If you maintain a certain level of activity, you should be able to do the things you enjoy for a really long time," says Copeland, who studies the impact of exercise on health.
In 2006, Copeland and U of L colleagues Dr. Jon Doan (PhD '06), who investigates the relationship between activity levels and work, and Dr. Lesley Brown, who researches balance and fall prevention, formed the Southern Alberta Centre for Successful Aging (SACSA) to examine how the transition to the senior years affects activity levels and what can be done to promote greater wellness. It's research urgently needed: between 2006 and 2026, the number of seniors is projected to increase from 4.3 to 8 million in Canada.
"That volume means we need a better understanding of what seniors want to do, what will be beneficial for them, and how we can match those things together," says Doan.
Funded by the U of L and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, SACSA involves a dozen undergraduate and graduate students, and more than 100 people so far have participated in the centre's research projects.
At the moment, there is a wide range of studies underway. All three researchers are taking part in a collaboration called the Successful Transition to Active Retirement (STAR) project, which is examining how the transition to retirement affects activity. Studies show that generally speaking, life transitions have enormous influence on health behaviours and "retirement is a big life change that hasn't been studied very much," explains Copeland.
The study examines people in various stages on the path to retirement, including those over 55 and still working, those who have completely retired and those engaged in new careers or employment opportunities after officially retiring from a long-term occupation (bridge employment).
Preliminary findings contradict the researchers' hypothesis that people who are bridge-employed are more active because they're leaving the house regularly to go to work. Rather, the opposite is true: working after retirement seemed to make survey respondents less likely to stay physically active.
However, it's likely that how active people are during bridge employment depends upon the industry they're in, says Doan. Continuing to farm past the age of 65 is probably more conducive to activity than an office job, for instance. Ultimately, Doan plans to analyze the differences between occupations.
Doan's research tends to focus on the interaction between work and physical activity levels, as well as how environments can be engineered to promote greater health. One of his projects involves assessing how the workplaces of seniors in bridge employment can be altered to better meet their needs.
"Older workers have different demands in that their understanding of the job is probably greater, but their physical fitness may be a little lower than other workers," he says.
As an interdisciplinary centre, SACSA taps into exercise physiology, kinesiology and biomedical engineering, a growing area at the U of L. Doan, who has an engineering background, explains that many of the technologies and research methodologies at the centre rely on biomedical engineering, particularly research related to the biomechanics of movement.
Case in point: a research project involving Doan, Brown and researchers at the University of Calgary involving the use of a new device, called a GaitMeter, to study the movement of people with Parkinson's disease. Because the neurological condition impairs motor function, people with the disease often struggle with walking and are apt to fall. As a result, the disease can limit a person's mobility and independence, so finding ways to improve their gait is critical. Studying the stereotypical movements of a person's walk can only be done with carefully engineered equipment.
The GaitMeter is about the size of an iPod and clips onto a belt loop. The data logger communicates with a small sensor placed on the shin to register and record subtle changes in a person's body as they move. Unlike traditional devices used to measure movement that can involve cumbersome wires, this wireless tool is engineered to allow researchers to track study participants beyond the lab.
"We can get them walking around the track or walking down the hallways at nursing homes," explains Brown.
Thanks to SACSA funding, Brown's lab is also equipped with state-of-the-art balance equipment, including a Neurocom® SMART Balance Master Clinical Research System.
"It's about the size of a British-style phone booth," she explains. "It's three-feet wide and three-feet deep, and you step into it."
The floor of the device rocks back and forth, and the visual surround also moves.
"It allows you to test the (physiological) symptoms that control your balance: your vision, what you're feeling on the ground and the integrity of your inner ear," says Brown.
The tool is enormously useful both to the community – hospital patients with balance problems often come to the lab for assessments – and Brown's research program, since falling is one of her areas of interest. One of her current projects involves investigating how the focus of a person's attention influences balance. She recently recruited patients who were self-identified as having a fear of falling and exposed them to threatening cues (such as flashing words like 'ice' and 'fall' on the screen surrounding them). Brown measured how long they attended to the words and determined that people who fear falling found it difficult to stop paying attention to the threat stimulus. One possibility from this finding, she explains, could be that people who are fearful are prone to falling because their attention is captured by the threat and consequently directed away from controlling balance.
While tripping or falling may seem like a minor issue to those in good health, the consequences increase as we age, explains Brown.
"Working in this area for the last number of years, I really appreciate that balance is something we take for granted when we're younger, but as we age it can become an issue that preoccupies your life."
As a result of trying to avoid injuries like broken hips, older people can start to limit their activity and become less vibrant and independent.
The U of L is in an ideal location to do this work. While Lethbridge has a population of about 80,000, its dry and sunny climate has made the city a popular spot for active seniors to retire.
When it comes to living an active lifestyle, researchers say there are ways to be active at any age. Despite the many disclaimers on exercise products, physical activity is remarkably safe for just about everyone.
"The risks are pretty similar, regardless of your age, when you're starting something new," says Copeland.
The key is starting off very gradually and checking with your doctor before you take on a more extreme regimen. Although she's an avid runner and outdoorswoman, Copeland says her research has reminded her to stay committed to an active lifestyle.
"I must admit that my research has affected my beliefs about physical fitness. It has to be done a little bit each day – like brushing your teeth or taking a shower."
While collecting data at the Lost Soul Ultra marathon in Lethbridge this past September, she was inspired by one of her research participants – a 65-year-old woman motoring along a 100-km route.
"That's how I want to be when I'm older."
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