Dr. Hélène Payette, local site principal investigator for the CLSA at the University of Sherbrooke, talks about the importance of the longitudinal study on aging in a feature article published in La Presse, a large, French-language daily newspaper in Montreal. http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/69bd018a-90ce-4bd2-891b-8d8af18f3410|MsKvzqdGKrcB.html

CLSA Webinar: Join us May 14 at 2 p.m. to hear about what constitutes an age-friendly community from the perspective of older adults. Dr. Verena Menec, Canada Research Chair in Healthy Aging, will discuss her findings in community-based programs of research, and the challenges communities face in becoming more age-friendly. https://www.clsa-elcv.ca/clsa-webinar-series

The CLSA’s data collection sites are continuing to work hard as we close in on our recruitment goal of 50,000 participants, of which 30,000 will complete data collection site visits. Congratulations to the Hamilton and Sherbrooke sites, which have now each reached their goal of 3,000 participant visits! 3,000 visits have also been completed in the Vancouver area, with both UBC and Simon Fraser University surpassing 1,500 visits each. All of the other sites are closing in on their goals to complete recruitment for the CLSA. Stay tuned for more updates!

We all know that as our brains age, they don't always seem to function quite as well as in our younger years. Some basic steps to protect your aging brain include exercise, managing health conditions and socializing, according to a new report on MedlinePlus. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_152008.html#.VTFJmowP5m0.twitter

It's National Volunteer Week, a great time to extend a special thanks to all of the CLSA participants! We are closing in on our goal of recruiting 50,000 people across the country. The wealth of information this study on aging will produce would not be possible without the participants who are generously volunteering their time. Thank you from the CLSA team!

The McMaster Optimal Aging Portal was featured on the cover of the McMaster Times spring newsletter. CLSA’s principal investigator, Parminder Raina has been involved in initiating the Portal, which acts as a free website service for citizens, clinicians, public health professionals and policymakers alike. The Portal empowers patients to take care of their own health. The feature can be viewed here: http://ow.ly/LF6Qb

Not brushing your teeth or maintaining good oral hygiene can put you at risk for serious health complications, like pneumonia. Dental health information being gathered from Canadians aged 45 to 85 through the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging may help in the future to create guidelines for good oral health. Lean more about the importance of dental hygiene and how it can be improved. 

CLSA Webinar: Join us April 16 at 1 p.m. to hear about a screening instrument to identify adults with epilepsy. Dr. Mark Keezer from the U.K. will describe the tool and how CLSA data were used in this work. https://www.clsa-elcv.ca/news/webinar-april-16-focus-identifying-adults-epilepsy

Congratulations to Urun Erbas Oz, post-doctoral fellow with the CLSA, who won the Murray L. Enkin Prize for Best Poster at the McMaster CE&B Research Day on March 26. The poster examines aspects of the CLSA recruitment methods. View the poster here: https://www.clsa-elcv.ca/files/docs/CEB_research_day_2015%20poster.pdf