The samples will be labelled with a unique study number, not your name, at the time of collection.
They will be stored in special storage tanks to protect them for a long period of time for future analyses. These tanks are kept in a secure space at McMaster University that is electronically monitored 24 hours a day. These samples are labelled with a unique code and no identifiable information is recorded on the tube.
When you book your appointment with one of our research interviewers, please advise him/her if you require an accessible parking spot. They will discuss the possibilities with you.
You can certainly have someone accompany you to the site. Upon completion of your visit, you will be reimbursed $30 for your travel expenses, regardless of the number of people who accompany you.
The information letter, given to you at the in-home visit, will provide information about bus stops and/or metro or subway stops for your local Data Collection Site.
At the in-home visit, the CLSA interviewer will make an appointment with you for your Data Collection Site visit and will provide you with all the necessary information about the location, transportation and parking. A map of the locations of other nearby parking lots will also be available.
Measurements taken at the Data Collection Site are collected as part of a research study and have not yet been checked for quality. Many test results require further analysis and interpretation to be clinically useful, which will be performed at a later time. Results are not a clinical diagnosis and do not replace a visit to your doctor or health-care provider. If you receive a result that is outside of the normal range, it will be suggested that you visit your doctor or health-care provider to verify and talk about the results.
The CLSA will not send any results directly to your doctor or other health-care provider. You are free to share the report you receive from the Data Collection Site visit with your doctor or other health-care provider if you so choose.
No, we will not carry out any kind of screening for health conditions. If you have specific health concerns, you should discuss them with your doctor or health-care provider.
If any of the physical test results and measurements returned to you are outside of what is considered to be a normal range, you will be advised on the report you receive from the Data Collection Site and it will be recommended that you visit your doctor or other health-care provider to verify and discuss the information.
It is important that you understand that the tests conducted are for research purposes only, and the data have not yet been checked for quality or interpreted.
Providing samples is optional, but is very important to the overall understanding of healthy aging. You may opt out of providing samples and still participate in the study.
A trained CLSA interviewer will come to your house. They will carry a CLSA identification badge and will call you in advance to make arrangements for the in-home visit at a convenient time.
If you agree to provide a stool sample, you will be given a self-collection kit at your in-home interview and asked to return the sample at your Data Collection Site visit. Participants will be asked to provide a sample once every three years.