Healthy aging in place

Seniors are one of the fastest growing population groups in Saskatchewan, which makes understanding their health needs of vital importance. Rural and northern communities in Canada are facing escalating challenges in meeting the health care needs of an aging non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal population. Using population health intervention research, SPHERU researchers are working to identify effective interventions at the policy, community, and kin levels that support healthy aging in place for both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal seniors. The project follows up on a SPHERU pilot project, Role of Social Systems in Health of Seniors Living in Rural Saskatchewan. More recently, it has led to our team grant project, Healthy aging in place: Improving rural seniors’ health through policy and community level interventions.

Goals / Outcomes: This research had two major research objectives: 1) to identify the policy, community and kin-level interventions that influence health outcomes for rural and northern Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal seniors; and 2) to create an assessment framework to monitor the range and impact of these interventions in supporting seniors' health outcomes in rural and northern areas.

Funder: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

Published Journal Articles:

• "Healthy Aging in Place: Perceptions of Rural Older Adults," Educational Gerontology (2014)
• "Healthy Aging in Place: Supporting Rural Seniors' Health Needs," Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care (2013)
• "Rural Seniors," Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (2014)
• "Policy, community and kin: Interventions that support rural healthy aging," Activities, Adaptation and Aging (2014)

Published Conference Abstracts:

• Novik, N., Bacsu, J., & Johnson, S. (2013). Aging and rural mental health: “I don’t think I’ll ever get better.” Conference Program: Aging in America, 2013 ASA Conference. Chicago, Illinois. March 11-15, 2013. pp. 202.
• Bacsu, J., Jeffery, B., Novik, N., Martz, D., Johnson, S., & Abonyi, S. (2012). Policy, community and kin: Interventions the support rural healthy aging in place. Canadian Rural Health Research Society: 11th Conference, Levis, Quebec, October 25-27, 2012. pp 31.
• Novik, N., Bacsu, J., Jeffery, B., Martz, D., Abonyi, S., & Johnson, S. (2012). Barriers to mental health for rural seniors:  “I don’t think I’ll ever get better.” Canadian Rural Health Research Society: 11th Conference, Levis, Quebec, October 25-27, 2012. pp 42.
• Novik, N., Bacsu, J., Jeffery, B.,  Abonyi, S., Johnson, S., Martz, D., & Oosman, S. (2012). Healthy aging through the eyes of rural Saskatchewan seniors: Factors that support aging in rural Saskatchewan. Abstract Book: Canadian Association of Gerontology: 41st Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting. Vancouver, British Columbia. October 18-20, 2012. pp 176.