21 Jan Most Advanced Age Adults are Women, Many Living in Community

MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Paula A. Rochon MD, MPH, FRCPC
Vice President, Research, Women’s College Hospital
Senior Scientist, Women’s College Research Institute
Professor, Department of Medicine
University of Toronto, Ontario Canada

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Rochon: Our main findings are that there are now more than 1800 centenarians in Ontario. Among those over 100 years of age, 60 per cent are 101 years of age or older. In addition, most centenarians are women (85 per cent), and this percentage increases to 90 per cent among those who are 105 years of age and older.

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Dr. Rochon: We found that more than 40 per cent of centenarians in Ontario are living in the community, and that some of these individuals receive no publicly funded home care support.  However, we were unable to capture the use of informal or privately funded care. We also learned from our study that while almost all centenarians in Ontario receive care from a primary care physician, only about 5 per cent of them are assessed by geriatricians.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Rochon: Many older adults of advanced age are living in the community.   Most older adults are women. Our findings suggest that strategies are required to find ways to provide support to older adults in the community.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Rochon: Future research should continue to investigate the profile and health service use of centenarians, so that the delivery of health services to this important older population can be improved.

Citation:

Demographic Characteristics and Healthcare Use of Centenarians: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Volume 62, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages: 86–93, J Am Geriatr Soc 62:86–93, 2014.Paula A. Rochon, Andrea Gruneir, Wei Wu, Sudeep S. Gill, Susan E. Bronskill, Dallas P. Seitz, Chaim M. Bell, Hadas D. Fischer, Anne L. Stephenson, Xuesong Wang, Andrea S. Gershon and Geoffrey M. Anderson
Article first published online : 2 JAN 2014, DOI: 10.1111/jgs.12613

Last Updated on January 21, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD