Who is a SuperAger?

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Aging & dementia

For much of the 20th century, senility (i.e., the mental and physical decline associated with old age) was seen as a normal part of aging. After decades of research, it became apparent that dementia is a disease and therefore not a normal part of aging. There are many trajectories in aging, ranging from dementia to healthy cognitive aging. Advancing age is the single biggest risk factor for cognitive decline, including memory loss, for Alzheimer’s dementia.

Am I a SuperAger?

SuperAgers are defined as individuals over the age of 80 whose episodic memory performance is comparable to norms for those who are 50-65 years old and whose performance in other cognitive domains, such as language, are at least average for their age.

A focus on diversity

We hope to add significant knowledge through our large participant cohort, with at least 500 participants across Canada and the United States. While our current sites already feature geographic diversity, we are also focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity with a focus on the enrollment of individuals who identify as Black/African-American as well as recruiting from other equity-deserving groups with a history of exclusion from research. We are maintaining an integrated research approach that considers results across scientific disciplines.