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Background Although our knowledge
of aging has increased significantly in recent decades much of the focus
has been on individuals under 80. This emphasis ignores the over 80
group, which is growing most rapidly in proportion to the whole population.
However, our understanding of the aging process in this most advanced
stage of life is unsatisfactory, as it is of the determinants that affect
people's health and well-being during it. Insofar as our society has
not previously experienced such a rapid growth in this age group, resources
may be overtaxed if adequate preparation is not made. Sufficient information
is needed to prepare the most effective approaches across a range of
interventions, for example, health, social, financial, legal, and political.
The Fredericton 80+ Study directly addresses this need not only by evaluating
participants' physical health, psychological well-being, and overall
quality of life, but also by assessing what health care and other services
they are currently using or may require. The Fredericton 80+ Study is
thus important from an academic perspective and a practical one alike.
Not only does it help to fill critical gaps in our knowledge of aging
in the latest stages of life but it also sheds light on the implications
of this knowledge for understanding health in later life.
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