Taking a unique look at health promotion and aging in Canada, this edited collection uses the action framework in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion to explore the factors and issues related to the health of older adults. The book is organized around the five action areas for health promotion: building healthy public policy, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action, developing personal skills, and reorienting health and social services.
Adhering to the holistic approach that health in older age involves physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being, this comprehensive collection covers a wide range of interventions that are designed to benefit and protect the aging population’s health, quality of life, rights, and dignity, while building intergenerational solidarity and collaboration. Readers will learn about aging from a health promotion perspective; the context, environment, and issues related to older adults in Canada; as well as best practices in health promotion, public health, and the care of older adults. Promoting the Health of Older Adults is an invaluable resource for both graduate and undergraduate students in gerontology, health promotion, nursing, social work, and related fields.
FEATURES
considers the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for health promotion and aging
provides an up-to-date profile of older adults in Canada and current/future trends in aging and health, including the use of new technologies and policies and practices in health promotion, public health, and other disciplines
includes a wealth of pedagogical features, such as learning objectives, critical thinking questions, a glossary, and online supplementary materials
Foreword: The Convergence of Health Promotion and Gerontology, byGloria Gutman
Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I: Key Demographic, Conceptual, and Theoretical Elements
Chapter 1: A Portrait of Aging and Older Adults in Canada, by Peggy Edwards
Chapter 2: Key Concepts in Health Promotion and Gerontology, by Irving RootmanandMélanie Levasseur
Chapter 3: Theories and Models in Health Promotion: Key Landmarks on the Road Map to Optimal Practice and Research with Older Adults, by Lucie RichardandJohanne Filiatrault
Personal Reflection 1: Did You Just Call Me Old Lady? A Ninety-Five-Year-Old Reflects on Aging in an Ageist Society, by Lillian Zimmerman
Part II: Building Healthy Public Policy
Chapter 4: Public Policy for Healthy Aging: Challenges and Frameworks for Action, by Peggy Edwards, Jim Hamilton, andMichael Routledge
Chapter 5: Policy and Program Innovations for an Aging Society, by Sherri Torjman
Personal Reflection 2: Adopting a Rights-Based Approach to Policies and Practices Involving Older Persons, by Margaret Gillis
Part III: Creating Supportive Environments
Chapter 6: Age-Friendly Communities, by Verena Menec, Jim Hamilton, andSheila Novek
Chapter 7: Housing in Later Life, by Suzanne Garon, Samuèle Rémillard-Boilard, Mario Paris, François Racicot-Lanoue, andChristyne Lavoie
Chapter 8: Transportation for an Aging Society, by Neena L. Chappell
Chapter 9: AgeTech: Technology-Based Solutions for Aging Societies, by Andrew Sixsmith
Chapter 10: Reducing Social Isolation: Policies and Programs Fostering Social Support and Participation, by Daniel NaudandMélanie Levasseur
Chapter 11: Grow Old Along with Me: Relationships in Later Life, by Peggy Edwards
Chapter 12: Mistreatment of Older Adults, by Marie Beaulieu, Julien Cadieux Genesse, andKevin St-Martin
Part IV: Strengthening Community Action
Chapter 13: Community Development by and for Older Adults, by Mélanie Levasseur, Daniel Naud, andSonia Routhier
Chapter 14: Busting Some Myths: The EngAGEment and Contributions of Older Persons in Society, by Peggy Edwards
Chapter 15: Health Promotion among Older Indigenous People, by Charlotte Loppie
Chapter 16: Aging in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2+) Communities, by Arne StinchcombeandKimberley Wilson
Chapter 17: Health Promotion Practices for Immigrant Older Adults, by Karen M. KobayashiandMushira Mohsin Khan
Personal Reflection 3: Aging: The Advancement from Cocksure Ignorance to Thoughtful Uncertainty—Reflection from an Indigenous Elder, by Woodrow Morrison
Part V: Developing Personal Skills
Chapter 18: Never Too Old to Learn: Lifelong Learning and Adult Education, by Arpi HamalianandMichael Cooke
Chapter 19: Improving the Health Literacy of Older Adults, by Lorie DonelleandIrving Rootman
Chapter 20: Mental Health, Cognitive Resilience, and Vitality, by Kiran Rabheru, Keri-Leigh Cassidy, Beverley Cassidy, and David Conn
Chapter 21: Healthy Aging through the Arts: Supporting Older People to Thrive in Their Communities, by Alison Phinney, Claire Gram, jil p. weaving, andElaine Moody
Chapter 22: Building Personal Skills for Healthy Eating: From Risk to Resilience, by Doris GillisandLaura Gougeon
Chapter 23: Encouraging and Supporting Physical Activity for Older Adults, by Christa Costas-BradstreetandJohn C. Spence
Personal Reflection 4: Living and Aging with a Disability: A Study in Resilience, by Mark Nagler
Part VI: Reorienting Health Services
Chapter 24: The Role of Public Health in Promoting Healthy Aging, by Pegeen Walsh
Chapter 25: Improving Community Health and Social Services: A British Columbia Case Study, by Laura Kadowaki, Kahir Lalji, andMarcy Cohen
Chapter 26: Reablement: A Unique Approach to Regaining, Maintaining, or Improving Independence in Daily Life, by Nicole DubucandBryony Beresford
Personal Reflection 5: Reflecting on 45 Years in Public Health Nursing, by Connie Swinton
Chapter 27: Putting Life into Years: Promoting Health and Joy in Nursing Homes, by Pat Armstrong, Hugh Armstrong, andJacqueline Choiniere
Chapter 28: Reorienting Mental Health Services for Older Adults in Canada, by Kimberley Wilson
Chapter 29: Supporting Caregivers and Caregiving in an Aging Canada, by Laura M. Funk
Chapter 30: Substance Use Among Older Adults: Epidemiology and Implications for Health Promotion Systems, by Karen Urbanoski
Chapter 31: Death and Dying in Canada: A Family Lens, by Katherine ArnupandNathan Battams
Personal Reflection 6: Reflections on Death and Dying in Canada, by Barry Worsfold
Part VII: Conclusion
Chapter 32: Health Promotion and Aging During a Pandemic: Risk, Resilience, and COVID-19, by Andrew V. Wister
Personal Refection 7: On Being an Older Person in the Wake of the Coronavirus, by Peggy Edwards
Chapter 33: Moving Forward on Healthy Aging: Challenges and Opportunities, by Frances Grunberg, Peggy Edwards, Irving Rootman, andMélanie Levasseur
Glossary
About the Contributors
Index
Biography
Irving Rootman is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria and an Executive Member of Health Promotion Canada. He has worked in the field of health promotion since 1978 as a researcher, research and program manager, professor, consultant, author, and advocate.
Peggy Edwards is a health promotion consultant, policy analyst, human rights activist, researcher, and author on healthy aging. She has worked with Health Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association, and the World Health Organization.
Mélanie Levasseur is an occupational therapist, a researcher at the Research Centre on Aging, and a Full Professor and Director of Research in the School of Rehabilitation at Université de Sherbrooke.
Frances Grunberg is a social work practitioner, educator, and advocate. She has spent the last 20 years as faculty in the Social Service Worker Program at Langara College, where she developed the gerontology program and was recently conferred with Emeritus status.rr
“As a gerontology instructor, I appreciate that this book challenges the negative stereotype of older adults as simply a drain on our society. It expands our thinking about health to include structural inequality and environmental considerations and advocates an approach that empowers older adults to play a role in shaping polices and supporting the health of their diverse communities in a range of ways.”
—Dr. Jasmyne Rockwell, Gerontology Program, Department of Social Services, Langara College
“Rootman and Edwards, participants at the conference that created the Ottawa Charter of Health Promotion and Canadian architects of the field, have, together with Levasseur and Grunberg, brilliantly harnessed the Charter to frame current knowledge on health and aging. Through a comprehensive and accessible collection of chapters written by top Canadian researchers and experts in aging, the book puts forward a compelling mix of evidence-based and innovative strategies to make aging societies, healthy societies.”
—Dr. Louise Potvin, PhD, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal
“The disciplines of health promotion and gerontology have much to contribute to each other, yet historically have stood apart. This unique book brings those disciplines together using the 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, a familiar and time-tested action framework with a clear focus on promoting equity and addressing the structural and social determinants of health. The information is timely, extremely relevant to today’s context, and novel in its presentation as it includes the voices of those with lived and living experience. Practitioners, leaders, decision makers, policy makers, researchers, educators, and students will find the evidence-informed content and discussion of great benefit.”
—Dr. Claire Betker, RN, PhD, FCAN, CCHN(C), Scientific Director, National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, St. Francis Xavier University
Instructor Resources
Promoting the Health of Older Adults comes equipped with an Instructor’s Manual of learning activities related to each chapter and personal reflection in the book. They include classroom discussions, essay topics, and take-home assignments that instructors can adapt for undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, professional, and in-service learners.
Contact your rep to view a supplement sample or request a download code.
