The Veteran’s Health Initiative within the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: A snapshot of the physical and mental health of older Veterans

Older veterans may have experienced significant physical and /or psychological stressors while serving in the military. While there has been a great deal of research on the health impact of the Gulf Wars on returning veterans, little is known about the mental and physical health of older veterans of earlier conflicts. Within the first 21,241 recruits of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), 1,763 self-identified as veterans making this as an ideal vehicle to examine the health of older veterans. In this project, we take our first look at the physical and mental health of these older veterans (aged 45-85) by analyzing the information collected as part of the baseline CLSA assessment. These results will provide a snapshot of the health of older veterans in Canada and set the stage for the continuation of this Veterans Health Initiative (VHI) within a national longitudinal study on aging.