  |
|||
|
|
|
Description The Fredericton
80+ Study uses a longitudinal-sequential design to examine numerous
items regarding the health, psychological, and social dimensions of
the lives of people 80 years old and older. Launched in 1998, the Study
involved an initial group of 149 participants (62 males, 87 females),
all born in 1918 and residing within New Brunswick Health Region 3.
In 2003, a second cohort of over 240 participant turning 80 in that
year we added with funding from the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research and a range of other sponsors, the
Study is directed through the Department
of Gerontology of St. Thomas University. It is conducted by a team
of researchers from both gerontology and the Department
of Psychology at St. Thomas and from the Faculty
of Medicine, Dalhousie University, through its Family Medicine Teaching
Unit at the Dr Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton. The Study is
linked to a comparable 80+ studies underway in Sweden since 1988 (Lund
80+ Study) and in Iceland since 1993. The Fredericton 80+ Study also
adds a fourth, qualitative component to the design, that of an open-ended
lifestory interview with a sub-sample of 30 participants. By following
members of the initial cohort annually for as many as 10 years, and
by introducing subsequent cohorts every 5 years for control purposes,
the Study is gathering a broad range of quantitative and qualitative
data concerning the health status and needs of this fast growing yet
under-studied portion of our population. Furthermore, its international
linkages enable valuable comparisons between cultures, as well as between
cohorts, genders, disciplines, and data sets.
|
|
|
|
|||