Socializing key to "Successful Aging"

CBC News.ca
October 17, 2012

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BRAVO Graduates First Class

Lisa Queen, Inside Toronto
September, 2011

As a 66-year-old retired banker and college teacher, Jim Pullen never imagined he'd be in the Class of 2011.
But the new graduate of Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System's BRAVO program even delivered a valedictorian-style speech at a graduation ceremony...

For more, please visit: Inside Toronto

Altruistic Value

John Lorinc, Zoomer Magazine
June, 2011

Volunteering, says John Lorinc, is a lot more than stuffing envelopes. A new study aims to measure its impact on our health and economy.

For more, please visit: Altruistic Value (pdf)

Retiring? Keep your brain working at least

Dr. Angela Troyer, The Globe and Mail
May 26, 2011

QUESTION: Is it true that our cognitive powers take a sharp drop right after we retire from the work force?

ANSWER: Although there is a relationship between retirement and cognitive skills, there is no evidence of an immediate or precipitous decline right after retirement, and there is plenty of reason to believe that being pro-active can minimize any potential negative effects.

For more, please visit: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/brain-health/retiring-keep-your-brain-working-at-least/article2036295/

Health benefits of volunteer work studied

Cara Stern, Canadian Jewish News
July 1, 2010

One year after putting out the call, Baycrest is still searching for subjects for a study to determine the health benefits of volunteer work. The goal is to explore whether volunteering affects brain health, as well as to make Baycrest the agency of choice for volunteers, according to a June 15 slide show presented mostly to volunteers to mark the one-year anniversary of the study’s launch.

For more, please visit: http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19451&Itemid=86

Give a hand to Baycrest’s BRAVO

Lisa Queen, InsideToronto
June 19, 2010

A widow at a loss following the death of her husband found her calling as a therapeutic clown entertaining the elderly. A retired dentist who spent his career working with his hands and talking to patients unable to respond while he worked in their mouths now enjoys chatting with seniors as he teaches them arts and crafts. A librarian forced to leave her job after arthritis left her hands crippled still has the spirit of giving. What do they have in common? They are all volunteers at North York's Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System.

For more, please visit: http://www.insidetoronto.com/community/health/article/836008--give-a-hand-to-baycrest-s-bravo

Applying skills in new ways through volunteering can boost brain power

Susan Pigg, Toronto Star
February 5, 2010

Five months before Allen Manly retired from his job in June as a high school guidance counsellor, he underwent training that could go a long way to keeping his brain – and his skills – sharp. Instead of helping teens plot out their future, Manly was intent on spending his retirement helping the elderly die with dignity. He signed up for hours of orientation to be a volunteer in the palliative care unit of Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.

For more, please visit: http://www.thestar.com/article/759556

Baycrest seeks volunteers for study on volunteering

Carolyn Blackman, Canadian Jewish News
July 8, 2009

Healthy adults age 55 and over who aren’t currently working or volunteering are being sought for a new study about volunteering being launched at Baycrest. The Baycrest Research About Volunteering in Older Adults (BRAVO) pilot study, made possible with a grant from the government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program, is setting out to prove what many volunteers already know – that volunteering is an effective prescription for healthy aging.

For more, please visit: http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17262&Itemid