Aging Parents and the Ties That Bind: Intergenerational Relationship Quality Among Culturally Diverse Canadian Families.

Drawing from a life course perspective, this paper examines mid/later-life parent-child relationship quality among ethnically diverse families. Focus is on the role of culture, child, and parental characteristics. Data are drawn from a study of 588 parents aged 50+ of a least one child aged 19-35 who reside in Metro Vancouver, B.C. from four Canadian cultural groups: British, Chinese, Persian/Iranian, and South Asian. Using OLS regression methods, we use two dependent variable scales: positive and negative support/interaction appraisals of the relationship. The positive relationship quality scale is associated with South Asian versus British-Canadian parents, mothers, those with greater income satisfaction, and daughters. The negative scale is inversely associated among South Asian versus British-Canadian parents, income satisfaction, parental health, and being unpartnered (vs. partnered). Interaction effects are found between gender and ethnicity. Implications for theorizing and applied recommendations for those who work with culturally diverse aging families are discussed.

Examination of the Healthy Caregiver Effect among Older Adults: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

INTRODUCTION: The Healthy Caregiver Hypothesis (HCH) suggests that caregiving is associated with beneficial health impacts for family caregivers. However, mixed results have been reported, particularly when different levels of caregiving intensity were examined. This study analyzes the relationship between caregiving intensity and three health indicators (functional health, chronic illness, and self-rated general health) among Canadian older adults over 3 years. METHODS: We drew upon a subsample of 11,344 participants aged 65 years and older from the Baseline and Follow-up 1 data of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and used linear mixed models to test the hypothesis based on different levels of caregiving intensity. RESULTS: Older adults who provided low-intensity care recently or continuously reported better functional health and self-rated health than noncaregivers. In contrast, older adults with low-intensity caregiving responsibility reported more chronic conditions over time compared to noncaregivers, but this association was not found for high-intensity caregivers. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This study elucidates the HCH by incorporating caregiving intensity to understand patterns of better functional health and perceived health but more chronic conditions. The findings yielded from different health indicators suggest the impact of caregiving on health may be domain specific.

A Study of Social Isolation, Multimorbidity and Multiple Role Demands Among Middle-Age Adults Based on the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

Given the increasing complexity and fluidity of parenting, caregiving, and paid work patterns, in tandem with an increased risk of multimorbidity in mid-life, this study examines the relationship between these three concurrent roles and social isolation among middle-aged persons across multimorbidity statuses. Drawing upon life course theory, we applied linear mixed models to analyze 29,847 middle-aged participants from two waves of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Findings reveal that participants experience greater social isolation over time, albeit the difference is extremely small. Among participants without multimorbidity, holding multiple roles is associated with lower social isolation. For those with multimorbidity, being employed full-time and providing intensive care are associated with social isolation. The occurrence of multiple roles demonstrates unique associations with social isolation among those with and without multimorbidity over time. Future research should study multimorbidity as a salient contextual variable. Moreover, enhanced support is needed for multimorbid middle-aged individuals with different role demands.

Linking Lives in Ethnically Diverse Families: The Interconnectedness of Home Leaving and Retirement Transitions.

Drawing from a sociocultural life course perspective, this study examines the linkages between two age-related family transitions: young adult children leaving home and parental retirement. A sample of 580 ethnically diverse parents aged 50+ with at least one adult child aged 19-35 living in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was used in this study based on four cultural groups: British-, Chinese-, Persian/Iranian-, or South Asian-Canadian. Separate survival analyses are used to predict the timing of, and associations between children's leaving home and parents' retirement. Later timing of adult children's leaving home is associated with delays in retirement of parents and is influenced by a number of predictors. Main and interaction effects were supported for ethnicity, where belonging to the Persian/Iranian ethnic group (compared to British) delays home leaving, and belonging to Persian/Iranian and South Asian ethnic groups (compared to British) delays retirement timing.

Leisure Time Satisfaction and Activity Preferences Among Ethnically Diverse Aging Parents in Metro Vancouver.

It is well established that family and work-retirement transitions are increasingly becoming more complicated, extended, and reversible among aging parents. Combined with improved life expectancy, older parents are now confronted with new opportunities and challenges including their access to leisure activities. However, a paucity of research exists with regard to the extent to which older-aged parents are satisfied with their amount of leisure time as well as their ideal leisure preferences. Drawing upon socio-cultural life course theory, this paper examines how socio-demographic and ethnocultural variables (i.e., gender, ethnic identity), family-related factors (e.g., presence of children in the household), and socio-economic and work contexts (i.e., income satisfaction and retirement status) shape leisure time satisfaction and activity preferences. Data are drawn from the "Families and Retirement Project," a sample of 588 diverse (British-, Chinese-, Iranian/Persian-, South-Asian Canadians) aged 50 + (mean age = 59.6) residing in Metro Vancouver with at least one young adult child aged 19-35. Quantitative analyses reveal that leisure time satisfaction is higher among: those reporting lower levels of parental stress, the fully retired, those with less education, and among Chinese parents (compared to British). Moreover, strong variations by ethnic background are shown in preferred leisure activity, based on a thematic analysis of data. Results are discussed in terms of contributions to a socio-cultural family life course activity theory. Implications for community service provision (e.g., culturally sensitive and relevant recreational programs and services) are also highlighted, given the salience of participation in enjoyable leisure activities to healthy aging.

Generational juggling acts in midlife families: gendered and ethnocultural intersections.

This study draws upon a sociocultural stress and coping perspective to examine generational demands in midlife families. It examines both the predictors and family-related circumstances that contribute to perceptions of greater demand, with a focus on gendered and ethnocultural dimensions. Using mixed-methods, data are based on a sample of 236 parents collected in 2006/2007 from four cultural groups: British-, Chinese-, Southern European-, and South Asian Canadian. Key findings reveal that caregiving experiences remain highly gendered and are mediated by ethnocultural background and other work/family contextual characteristics. Recommendations for those who work directly with culturally diverse "sandwiched" generation families are highlighted.

Roles and experiences of informal caregivers of older adults in community and healthcare system navigation: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: Informal caregivers are playing a vital role in improving the degree to which older adults access community and healthcare systems in a more seamless and timely manner, thereby fulfilling their complex needs. It is critical to understand their experiences and perspectives while navigating these systems. This review aimed to identify and organise the research findings on the roles and experiences of informal caregivers of older adults while navigating community and healthcare systems. DESIGN: This scoping review was undertaken according to the Joanna Briggs Institute's Reviewer manual. Four databases were used: AgeLine, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Medline to capture literature with a focus on informal caregivers whose care recipients are aged 55 years or older. Articles were included if they focused on examining the experience, perspective and/or role of informal caregivers in providing care for their older care recipients, while articles were excluded if they only focused on healthcare professionals or older adults. RESULTS: A total of 24 studies were identified that met the study inclusion criteria. This review elucidated the roles of caregivers as a primary system navigator and as an advocate for older adults. Numerous challenges/barriers in system navigation were uncovered, such as lack of consistency in fragmented systems, as well as facilitators, including interface/coordination roles. Finally, recommendations for better system navigation such as caregiver engagement and integration of continuity of care services were identified. CONCLUSION: The need to raise the visibility of the roles and experiences of informal caregivers in system navigation was highlighted. Further research needs to focus on implementing interventions for informal caregivers incorporating a care coordinator to fill the care gap within community and healthcare systems. This review has the potential to foster greater integration of community and healthcare systems.

Social determinants of health for older women in Canada: does rural-urban residency matter?

This study provided an exploratory analysis of key social determinants of health for older Canadian women, with a focus on differences between rural and urban residency, given that socio-economic status (SES) and social capital have been shown to differ by rural-urban residence. Secondary analysis was conducted using the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey. A comparative logistic regression analysis revealed, unexpectedly, that SES and social capital variables were more strongly associated with the health status of urban older women than for the health status of their rural counterparts. Associations between health status measures and household income, food insecurity, and community belonging were largely not supported among rural women, but were for their urban counterparts. Findings are discussed concerning applications of the social-determinants-of-health model for explaining health patterns among older urban and rural women. Cost of living, access to health services, and dimensions of rural culture are discussed as potential explanations.

On and Off the Mat: Yoga Experiences of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

This article explores potential differences in yoga practice between middle-and older-aged adults. A health belief - life course model frames this research, and a mixed-methods analytic strategy is employed to examine life course pathways into yoga and motivations to practice, as well as perceived barriers and health benefits. For the quantitative analyses, a convenience sample of 452 participants was collected using an online questionnaire. For the qualitative analyses, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sub-set of 20 participants. Unique differences between the age groups (both current age and age when started yoga) as well as by gender were found for selected pathways, reasons/motivations, and barriers to engage in yoga as well as for perceived health benefits. In addition, results underscore the importance of informational cues and social linkages that affect how individuals adopt and experience yoga. Implications for health promotion programs that target older adults are discussed.

Midlife Challenge or Welcome Departure? Cultural and Family-Related Expectations of Empty Nest Transitions.

Mid- and later-life parental transitions to the "empty nest" are characterized by increasing complexity, uncertainty, and variability. Drawing upon a life course perspective coupled with a sociocultural stress model, this mixed-methods study focuses on parental perceptions of anticipated emotional challenge associated with their children's homeleaving and how this is shaped by ethnic culture and other family-related factors. Data entail a subsample of 174 midlife parents (mean age=51.8) with at least one adult child aged 18 to 35 living at home, collected as part of the "Mid/Later Life Parenting Project." Study participants belonged to British-, Chinese-, Southern European-, or South-Asian groups living in Metro Vancouver, BC. Analyses indicate that societal and ethnic group norms, relationship quality, and living arrangement preferences, as well as supportive exchanges and economic constraints (e.g., housing costs) influence empty nest perceptions and pathways. Implications of these findings are applied to aging families and family development.

"There's no place like home": an analysis of young adults' mature coresidency in Canada.

This article investigates the propensity for young adults to live in the parental home between the ages of 25 to 34--termed "mature coresidency." Drawing upon a synthesis of life course theory and the concept of social capital, a rationale is developed for examination of emotional closeness to parents during childhood and a number of socio-demographic and structural factors deemed to be important. Using a subset of young adults aged 25 to 34 (N = 1,760) from the 1995 Canadian General Social Survey, it is found that emotional closeness to mothers and fathers are major determinants of mature coresidency. Other important predictors include child's age, gender, marital status, and several family background factors. The implications of the findings are discussed for transitions to adulthood and family development against a changing social and economic landscape.

Use of Immunomagnetic Capture on Beads to Recover Listeria from Environmental Samples.

Current methods of Listeria detection require days to complete and may fail to detect Listeria in some samples. In contrast, capture of Listeria on microscopic immunomagnetic beads reduces test time to 24 h and improves sensitivity. In this approach, which eliminates enrichment, samples are mixed with immunomagnetic beads coated with anti- Listeria antibodies. Listeria in the sample bind to beads. The beads, with their bound Listeria , are isolated from other sample material and microorganisms in a magnetic field. The beads are plated on medium and incubated overnight. The next day, a replica of the plate is made onto a thin plastic membrane. The membrane is treated with an anti- Listeria antibody, an alkaline-phosphatase conjugated antibody that binds to the anti- Listeria antibody, and a substrate for alkaline phosphatase. This treatment produces colored spots that correspond to Listeria colonies on the master plate. Immunomagnetic capture was compared to a standard cultural method for analysis of environmental samples. Immunomagnetic capture detected Listeria in 100% of the samples, at contamination levels where a standard cultural method gave detection in only 36% of the samples. At lower levels of contamination, immunomagnetic isolation allowed detection of Listeria in 58% of the samples, while the cultural method failed to detect Listeria in any samples. Immunomagnetic capture resulted in recovery of injured Listeria . Because immunomagnetic capture did not rely on enrichment, the number of Listeria colonies obtained was related to the original level of contamination. Quantitative results were produced within 24 h for both positive and negative samples, while the cultural method produced qualitative results in 6 days (for positives) or 3 days (for negatives). Immunomagnetic capture is thus both more rapid and more sensitive than a standard cultural method for detection of Listeria in environmental samples.