Mac study to explore mysteries of aging
May 22, 2009
Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator
(May 22, 2009)
As the front end of the baby boom heads into senior citizenship, a major national study based at McMaster University is about to spend at least 20 years examining the way Canadians age.
The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, with $30 million in federal startup money, will collect data from 50,000 subjects now 45 to 85 years old, in the hope of understanding the biological, physical, financial, psychological and social dimensions of aging.
By 2025, it is projected that one in five Canadians will be at least 65 years old, compared with one in eight today.
MP David Sweet, who represents McMaster's riding of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, visited campus yesterday to make the announcement.
"Certainly this project could not be more timely," Sweet said. "In the absence of scientific evidence, we can only imagine the ramifications of this major demographic shift."
The study, which Sweet called a "remarkable undertaking," is believed to the first of its scale to tackle all aspects of aging over time.
Its findings are expected to have a profound impact on government policy-making.
The study is intended to provide evidence that will lead to improved health and quality of life for seniors, as researchers learn better the mechanisms of aging.
The project's reach distinguishes it from previous studies that have looked into single topics in aging or only studied people older than 65.
McMaster's Parminder Raina is the lead principal investigator on the study, with co-principal investigators at McGill and Dalhousie universities.
"To answer some of the more complex questions, you need large studies like this," said Raina, who holds the university's Labarge Chair in Research and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging and is director of McMaster's Evidence-based Practice Centre.
"To deal with the baby boom cohort that is coming, we need knowledge, we need science, we need evidence. We need to design our health care services to meet their needs," Raina said.
McMaster is the national co-ordinating centre for the study, with overall responsibility for design methodology and co-ordination.
The study, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, will involve more than 160 researchers and technicians in 10 centres across Canada.
McMaster president Peter George said his university's part in the study is a natural extension of its other initiatives in aging research and education, including its new department of aging, health and society, its Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging and research chairs in aging.
"It's truly a monumental study, and I think the potential economic, social and health benefits are enormous," George said. "If we can identify early causes and early solutions, we can restore people to active, productive, high-quality lives and mitigate the impact on the health care system ... we'll all be much better off."
whemsworth@thespec.com
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