The Impact of Retirement on Cognitive Decline

As increasing life expectancy leads to a longer period of retirement, several studies have been investigating the possible impact of retirement on cognitive health. While several epidemiological studies with cross-sectional designs have reported a negative association between retirement and cognitive abilities, very few longitudinal studies have confirmed the negative effect of retirement on cognitive functioning.

The next CLSA webinar, presented by PhD candidate Catherine Gosselin, will explore the impact of retirement on cognitive abilities among older Canadians. Using Comprehensive cohort data from the CLSA, the research team compared memory, executive function and processing speed of retirees and workers aged 45 to 85 years at baseline and at a three-year follow-up. Consistent with previous studies, the findings showed a significant decline in both processing speed and executive function for retirees compared to workers from baseline to follow-up among the English-speaking sample. The absence of significant results in the French-speaking sample will also be discussed in terms of sample size and professional occupation.

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