Grant: Summer Program in Aging

As Canada's population ages and longevity increases, the issue of healthy aging becomes crucial. While life expectancy is increasing, healthy life expectancy, often up to retirement age, is not keeping pace. This gap poses challenges, especially with cognitive decline influencing retirees' quality of life. Recent research highlights the importance of social participation as a protective factor against this decline. Social participation, contributes not only to the prevention of cognitive decline, but more generally to life satisfaction. Social participation of retirees enhances their experience and skills, countering the negative stereotypes that affect cognitive health. However, seniors' social participation is not constant, making it difficult for prevention programs to determine when to encourage engagement. Intervening before the onset of health problems is essential, as these can limit social participation. The transition to retirement represents an ideal opportunity to stimulate social engagement, and social participation seems to be a determining factor in the evolution of cognitive health. Results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) show that retired people are more likely to experience cognitive decline than their working counterparts. The factors influencing this decline in the transition to retirement are still poorly understood, and the evolution of participation could play a key role. Our research aims to investigate the effects of social participation on cognitive abilities after retirement. We will analyze data from the CLSA, with three follow-ups at three-year intervals of nearly 7,000 participants, some of whom retired during this period. The results may offer key insights for promoting healthy cognitive aging, highlighting the importance of modifiable social participation across the lifespan. To design innovative programs that better meet the needs of older people, thus promoting a more equitable and inclusive society.