Tell us about yourself in a paragraph or two: What is your name, and what are you studying? Where are you from? What was your dream job as a kid? What’s your favourite thing to do outside of school/work?
Greetings from Toronto! My name is Mabel Ho. I am a PhD candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and am being supervised by Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson. I am a registered social worker and have worked in the field of gerontological social work for over 20 years. I completed my Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto and my Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Science in Biology at York University. My research and practice interest focuses on the health and well-being of older adults.
As a child, I wanted to become a journalist. In a way, I am pursuing my childhood dream job by studying and sharing the secrets to successful aging. In my spare time, I enjoy music, cooking, gardening, and learning different cultures and languages.
What interested you about the CLSA?
I was interested in the CLSA because of its wealth of data and potential to study aging. With the CLSA, we can learn so much about how people are doing over time, why some people do well, and why others may not. The possibilities are endless.
What type of research are you doing with CLSA data? Have you published? If so, what are the findings (in lay terms)?
Using the first two waves of data from the comprehensive cohort of the CLSA, my doctoral thesis, “Successful Aging in Canada: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)”, focuses on factors associated with successful aging. By combining modified research-derived classifications of successful aging and lay perspectives of successful aging, we introduced an expanded definition of successful aging, including the ability to accomplish both activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), freedom from mental illness, memory problems, and disabling chronic pain, adequate social support and older adults’ self-reported happiness and subjective perception of their physical health, mental health and aging process as good.
In our study, we examined the associations between (1) immigration status; (2) marital trajectories; and (3) social participation and successful aging in Canada. We found that (1) older immigrants; (2) older adults who were never married or had experienced widowhood, separation and divorce in later life; and (3) older adults who did not participate in volunteer or charity work and recreational activities had significantly lower odds of achieving successful aging compared to their peers. We also noticed that people who were female, married, physically active, not obese, never smoked, had higher incomes, and those who did not have insomnia, heart disease or arthritis were more likely to maintain excellent health across the study period and less likely to develop disabling physical, cognitive or emotional problems.
With the guidance of my supervisors, we have published two papers, “Successful Aging among Immigrant and Canadian-Born Older Adults: Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)” and “Is Social Participation Associated with Successful Aging among Older Canadians? Findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
What is the most interesting or surprising thing you’ve learned from your work with the CLSA? How do you think the CLSA will help you grow as a student or in your future?
We are excited to learn that more than 70% of our sample maintained excellent health across the study period. With more waves of CLSA data becoming available, we can study more about how people are doing over time. By understanding factors associated with successful aging, we can work with older adults, families, practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to create an environment that supports a vibrant and healthy later life.
How do you think the findings using CLSA data will be useful to you, or others, in the future?
Our findings underline the importance of a strength-based rather than a deficit-based focus on aging and older adults. Our findings also highlight the importance of engaging in an active lifestyle throughout the life course.
Do you have any idea about what kind of job you’d like to do when you finish school?
After working with older adults, particularly stroke survivors, people living with dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other chronic diseases, and their families for over 20 years, I realize that it is important to support people to engage in an active and healthy lifestyle as early as possible so that more people can live and age well in later life. It will be the focus of my research and practice moving forward.
What is a non-career related thing that you are grateful for because of your work with the CLSA?
I am deeply grateful to my supervisors and all the wonderful people I have met and worked with during my studies. I am also very thankful to everyone who has made the CLSA possible.
