For the first time in history, seniors now outnumber children in Canada, and Niagara has one of the oldest populations of adults over 65.

Brock University neuroscientist and Canada Research Chair Karen Campbell will be describing strategies for promoting healthy aging in Niagara at an upcoming community talk hosted by the Centre for Lifespan Development Research at Brock.

Using her own research to explain how to improve cognitive abilities in older adulthood, Campbell will be providing tips and information to help the Niagara community better understand this important issue.

In response to the demographic shift recently identified by Statistics Canada research, Niagara has joined the Age-Friendly Initiative led by the World Health Organization, seeking to improve the lives of seniors.

Focusing on the health and well-being of older adults, the Centre for Lifespan Development Research provides relevant research to Niagara, with more than 60 faculty members studying how we change across the lifespan and examining health and well-being, memory, face recognition, brain development and emotion regulation.

As part of the Centre’s focus on disseminating its research to the community, it will host a community event, “Aging Well: Studying Healthy Cognitive Aging in Niagara,” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31 at Brock University. The event is free and open to anyone interested in learning about healthy cognitive aging.

Registration for the event can be found online at lifespanhealthyaging.eventbrite.ca

Campbell will be discussing how some cognitive abilities decline with age, while others are preserved or even improve, and will provide insight on the best way to maintain cognitive health into old age.

“I think it’s important for us to share these findings with the public so we can all use science to inform our lifestyle decisions,” she says.

What: Aging Well: Studying Healthy Cognitive Aging in Niagara

Who: Presented by Dr. Karen Campbell, Canada Research Chair and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Brock University with honorary chair, Dr. Douglas Rapelje, a Niagara resident, accomplished lifelong advocate for seniors in the Niagara region and an honorary doctorate recipient from Brock.

When: Wednesday, May 31, 2017 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: Academic South 203, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines