Negative attitudes toward people living with dementia persist, yet little research explores using activities across age groups to reduce this stigma in rural areas. Researchers held a group workshop with seventy-five participants in British Columbia and analyzed their discussions about strategies to address this problem.

Bacsu, J. D. R., Viger, M., Ménard, A., Kluch-Morrell, M., Virani, A., Gonzalez, C., Hulko, W., Mann, J., D’Souza, M. S., Smith, M. L., Norman, M., Blackstock, S., & Rakobowchuk, M. (2026). Intergenerational Strategies to Reduce Dementia-Related Stigma in Rural Communities: Stakeholder Perspectives from a Community-Based World Café Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(9), 1160. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23091160   Juanita-Dawne Bacsu

It remains unclear whether mentally stimulating activities across different life stages link to changes in thinking abilities differently in females and males. Researchers categorized mental activity across childhood, middle adulthood, and late life and evaluated thinking skills in 2,614 older females and males.

Goulding, S., Raeesi, S., Anderson, J. A. E., Oliver, M. D. A. E., Barnes, L. L., Estrella, M., Dadar, M., & Morrison, C. (2026). Sex and Life Stage Differences in the Association Between Cognitive Engagement and Cognitive Change. openRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.11.26362841   John Anderson

Falls cause major health problems in older adults, but physical risks can begin developing during middle age. Researchers measured the walking speed and muscle strength of middle-aged adults and tracked whether they experienced repeated falls years later.

Hayek, R., Nudelman, Y., Keren, D., & Springer, S. (2026). Associations of Midlife Gait Speed and Muscle Performance with Falls in Later Life: Secondary Analysis of the MIDUS Cohort (Preprint). JMIR Aging. https://doi.org/10.2196/103917   Shmuel Springer