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As One of Canada's Top Killers, Why Isn't Pneumonia Taken More Seriously?

Report Launch: As one of Canada's top killers, why isn't pneumonia taken more seriously?

Canada continues to fall short of its targets for vaccinating older adults against pneumonia, even though they are at higher risk of contracting this lung infection — and far more likely to die from it. In the updated version of its 2019 report, As One of Canada’s Top Killers, Why Isn’t Pneumonia Taken More Seriously?, the National Institute on Ageing finds that, unfortunately, pneumococcal vaccination rates among Canadians aged 65 years and older continue to lag at around 55 per cent — nowhere near the target of 80 per cent set by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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The Future of Worth: Leveraging the Longevity Dividend

The Longevity Forum: Leveraging the Longevity Dividend


Wednesday, June 14, 2023
8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. EDT
In-person & virtual event
Keynote: The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General of Canada and Honorary Chair of the Advisory Board to the NIA


The NIA, alongside the Future of Worth, What's NeXT?!, Women's College Hospital and the University of Toronto Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources, is bringing together a multi-disciplinary group of local and global thinkers, influencers and decision-makers to explore the many opportunities that greater longevity offers to employers, governments, learning institutions and society at large. They'll also examine what all of us can do to live longer, happier and healthier lives. 

 
Register here
Dr. Samir Sinha

Canadian Medical Association recognizes NIA's Dr. Samir Sinha with 2023 Award


NIA Director of Health Policy Research Dr. Samir Sinha has been named as the recipient of this year's Canadian Medical Association Award for Political Advocacy. The award recognizes a member of the CMA who has demonstrated exemplary leadership, commitment and dedication to causes that advance the CMA's vision and mission, at the federal level through grassroots advocacy efforts.

The CMA recognizes Dr. Samir Sinha's work and efforts to demand a National Seniors Strategy from the federal government, and his notable political advocacy work in leading the NIA while shaping government policies on long-term care, caregiver support and vaccination.

Congratulations Dr. Sinha!

Dr. Samantha Green

Earth Day Q&A: Why climate change is an ageing issue

To recognize Earth Day this month, we spoke with Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician and President-Elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, for a Q&A about the risks our warming world poses to older adults.

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More from the NIA's Experts

  • Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, the NIA's director of financial security research, spoke with Sadie Janes of Benefits Canada about how recent amendments to the Quebec Pension Plan can offer more flexibility on contributions and higher returns.
  • In a Globe and Mail opinion piece, NIA Senior Fellow Keith Ambachtsheer writes that Canada's public sector workers have one of the best occupational pension systems in the world and it should be expanded to all Canadians. The op-ed was based on Ambachtsheer's new policy paper.
  • A recent study co-authored by Dr. Samir Sinha published in BMJ Open (a publication of BMJ, formerly the British Medical Journal) found that MINT Memory Care — a model of clinics established by Dr. Linda Lee of the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aginghas a positive impact on patients, health care costs and quality of life.
  • New research from NIA Associate Fellow Doug Chandler for the FP Canada Research Foundation assesses the value of withdrawing more from Registered Retirement Income Funds than required, earlier than needed.
  • Neil Seeman, senior fellow at the Institute of Healthcare Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto's Massey College, discusses the NIA's work on Ageing in the Right Place in a new essay published in Healthcare Quarterly
  • NIA Senior Fellow Dr. Bob Bell spoke to Postmedia News' Elizabeth Payne about a digital referral technology that could help reduce surgical wait times if it were more widely used in Ontario.
  • The Trillium quotes an affidavit from Dr. Samir Sinha in a Charter challenge brought by health care advocates against the Ontario government over the bill requiring some older hospital patients to be moved to long-term care homes they haven't chosen. 
  • Caregivers need more government support as they cope with inflation and the rising cost of living, Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald tells Vawn Himmelsback in the Toronto Star.
  • In a Benefits Canada report about the complicated terminology of pension plans, Doug Chandler says there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • LTC and nursing homes in Canada could be vulnerable to a deadly, drug-resistant fungus that has raised alarms in the U.S., Dr. Samir Sinha tells Jennifer Lee of CBC News.


We're hiring!


The NIA is looking for a Health Policy Researcher
Click here to learn more
 

More on Ageing

  • The Aging, Residents & Caregivers Research Unit at the University of Regina is recruiting participants for a study involving older adults living with chronic pain. If you are an older adult living with chronic pain, click here to find out if you are eligible to participate. In appreciation for your time, you will be entered into a draw for a chance to win 1 of 10 gift cards for $50. For more information, please contact Dr. Natasha Gallant at Natasha.Gallant@uregina.ca or at (306) 585-4219.
  • Health researchers Charlene Chu of the University of Toronto and Nicole Dalmer of McMaster University appeared on CBC Radio's Spark to discuss how "compassionate ageism" has made its way into technology design.
  • An essay by researchers Clara Berridge and Alisa Grigorovich published by Data & Society calls for more research into the potential harms that artificial intelligence and surveillance technologies can pose to older adults.
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Events and Learning Opportunities

Geriatrics Institute Education Day: Ageing Well Beyond the Encanto

2023 Sinai Health and UHN Geriatrics Institute Education Day

Thursday, June 8, 2023
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT
Online through Zoom


Ageing Well Beyond the Encanto is a full-day event that will explore topics including health equity, palliative care and caregiver burnout.


Early bird rate is $25 and ends May 7.
 
Register Here

Recent Reports

Affordable Lifetime Pension Income for a Better Tomorrow

Recent report: Affordable Lifetime Pension Income for a Better Tomorrow
A report published by the NIA and the Global Risk Institute explains why Dynamic Pension pools are urgently needed to make retirement income security possible for millions of Canadian seniors. With 10 million baby boomers now entering retirement — with longer life expectancies and a greater dependency on private savings to sustain them — it’s more important than ever to find solutions that will help retiring Canadians turn their accumulated savings into low-cost lifetime pension income. 
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Caring for an Ageing Australia

Recent report: Caring for an Ageing Australia

What can Canada learn from Australia about supporting its ageing population? To answer this question, the National Institute on Ageing has published a new report called Caring for an Ageing Australia that explores the structural, logistical and financial aspects of Australia’s LTC and home-care systems, and how they relate to the country’s broader health-care and social security supports. This is the first in a series of reports looking at how other countries are trying to meet the needs of their ageing populations, as part of the NIA’s Ageing in the Right Place research series.
 
Read Here

Check your COVID-19 Risk

My COVID-19 Visit Risk Calculator
This free online risk calculator developed by the NIA helps individuals and families quickly assess their risk of exposure to COVID-19 when meeting or gathering with others.  Called My COVID-19 Visit Risk Calculator, takes approximately three minutes to complete and is available at COVIDVisitRisk.com. Through a short series of questions, it provides users with information about their potential risk of exposure to COVID-19 when visiting or meeting with others. In addition to guidance provided by public health officials, this information can be used to help Canadians make safer choices when gathering with others. This resource and its ongoing development has been funded in part by the Government of Canada.
Calculate Your Risk

Support the Call for a National Seniors Strategy 

Report cover: National Seniors Strategy 2020
The renewed National Seniors Strategy (NSS) is an evidence-based blueprint for federal leadership and policy recommendations for coordinated action to address the needs of an ageing population — especially in light the effects of COVID-19 on the older population. The strategy examines the sustainability and ability of health care systems, social services and the retirement income system to meet the needs of Canadians as they age. It also makes evidence-informed policy recommendations for each key challenge and identifies potential enablers to improve the system of care for older Canadians.
Read the Report
Endorse the National Seniors Strategy
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