Growing Multidisciplinary Interest in the Oldest Old

Persons aged 85 and older are a fast-growing population group in Canada and worldwide. Often referred to as the "oldest old', this group will continue to grow in the future as the first baby boomers reach age 85 in 2031. The oldest old are a diverse subset of people. Most continue to live in the community but may need increased support from formal or families/friends to facilitate aging-in-place. They are at greater risk to have multiple chronic health issues and face unique challenges associated with dementia, frailty and social isolation and some may move to supportive housing, long-term care homes, even hospices to obtain care. To prepare for these realities, we propose a 3.5-day Summer Program on Aging (SPA) to train and mentor the next generation of academics and professionals who plan to work in the field. Our SPA will bring together multi-disciplinary experts from Canada and internationally to prepare our trainees (graduate and postdoctoral fellows) to meet the challenges and opportunities to conduct research in this area. Our custom, in-person training program for the 40+ trainees will focus on the integration and mutual connections among the biomedical, clinical, health services and population health research areas as they relate to the oldest old. A solid foundation and understanding of the key topics and challenges faced by researchers of the oldest old will be presented as well as education in various research methods and ethical issues. Trainees will also be mentored in professional skills such as writing successful funding proposals. The Nova Scotia Centre on Aging has the expertise, capacity and resources to work with the applicants to develop and implement the program while being able to manage mitigating circumstances. Our SPA 2023 will advance trainee knowledge, integrate them into existing stakeholder networks, and provide them the tools required to make an impact this critical topic area.