Grant: Summer Program in Aging

The purpose of this study is to explore influences and differences in preventive care use across the older adult age spectrum. With the expected two-to-six-fold growth of Canadians 75 and older and tripling of the proportion of individuals 85 years and older over the next 30 years, promoting healthy aging is all the more critical. Preventive care refers to screening (e.g., mammography) and immunization (e.g., flu shot) services offered to the general population based on age, sex, and risk factors for disease. The purpose of preventive care services is to reduce morbidity, increase early disease detection, and reduce chronic disease prevalence. The goal of meeting preventive care use targets is ultimately to maximize quality of life. Older adults have, on average more preventive service recommendations than younger adults, yet have low use of services. Numerous barriers to accessing preventive services, such as ageism, awareness, or availability, may be key contributors to low use of services. To date, no Canadian studies have explored the impacts of these barriers across the older adult age continuum. Interventions are needed to address these gaps in older adult preventive care. While generic preventive care interventions have made marginal improvements in service uptake, they have not reached targets for completion. This study will address these gaps in knowledge using a combination of surveys and focus groups. Data collected will capture barriers and facilitators of preventive care use. Exploring nuances and influences across the older adult spectrum will produce valuable knowledge for designing and implementing interventions to improve older adult preventive care.