Healthy ageing in the far North: perspectives and prescriptions

Abstract

Objectives: This study captured factors integral to healthy ageing in central Alaska. To date, conceptual models fail to meaningfully address how healthy ageing is impacted by location and context, particularly in remote or sparsely populated areas. The way "healthy", or "successful", ageing is defined in an extreme environment, and how that contrasts with global definitions of healthy ageing, has yet to be examined. Method: Residents of central Alaska aged 60 and older completed background demographics and several measures of personality and well-being and then engaged in a guided discussion. Results: Themes identified as important to healthy ageing were attitude/perspective, socialisation, sense of community, purpose and staying active, and independence. Challenges endorsed included service gaps, transportation, seasonality, cost of living, and isolation. Discussion: The current data parallels previous investigations of healthy ageing and provides a new understanding of the importance of resilience factors for those living in central Alaska. ARTICLE HISTORY

Understanding culturally safe cancer survivorship care with inuit in an urban community

“…The lack of adequate subsidies or compensation schemes maintain an oppressive colonial imposition within the health and political systems, as it prioritises the treatment of cancer over the provision of culturally safe and holistic family-centred care. While many Inuit patients prefer care in their own communities [ 45 , 58 ], this opportunity is very limited by the lack of infrastructure and funding, limited training and recruitment of Inuit healthcare professionals, and an overall lack of political will [ 54 ].…”

A Rapid Review of the Measurement of Intrinsic Capacity in Older Adults

“… Yes 10 Handgrip strength (kg) Three measurements were taken with each hand and the maximum was recorded Yes 13 BMI Underweight (<18.5) or obese (≥ 30) = 0; overweight (>25, < 30) = 0.5 or normal (18.5–25) = 1 - 12 , 13 Abdominal circumference (to nearest 0.1cm) - - 13 Mid-upper arm circumference ≥ 22 cm - 15 Phase angle derived from bioimpedance measurement - - Mini nutritional assessment (MNA) Max score 30; higher score better nutrition status Yes 13 , 15 Biomarkers Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) - 10 Cognition MMSE 30-point questionnaire to measure cognitive impairment Yes (Local) 14 Modified MMSE Modified MMSE includes four additional questions to assess temporal and spatial orientation, the ability to see relations between objects, verbal fluency, and memory. Yes 12 , 16 Sub-parts of MMSE Two parts (1) assessment of orientation ability in time and ( 2 ) memory retention capacity. Yes 13 Questions 1) 3 word recall 2) orientation in time and space: e.g.…”

“…It is therefore important for older adults to maintain their rights to health and enjoy good quality of life as they age. Different conceptual models have been put forward to encapsulate the notion of aging well, such as healthy ageing, active aging or successful aging ( 2 ); however, many of these models have hitherto focused on the absence of clinical diseases or the accumulation of deficits ( 3 ). Notably, there is a recent shift in focus from the perspective of mere presence or absence of disease to a function-based approach of healthy aging which is aimed at building and maintaining the functional ability of older people.…”

Age‐related behavioral and ultrastructural changes in the rat amygdala

“…Hence, a better understanding of age‐related brain changes would not only provide clues to this mysteriously inevitable process, but may also point to potential interventions for at least a healthier living at later life stage. A number of studies indicate that age‐related emotional changes are influenced by a contextual framework of numerous factors (Gurera & Isaacowitz, 2019; Peterson et al., 2020; Schweizer et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2020). It is also well‐established that the relationship between brain structure and emotions may alter across the life span.…”