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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to research activities across Canada. The Training and Capacity Building (T&CB) Program of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) conducted a survey be-tween May 11th, 2020 and May 19th, 2020 to identify the chal-lenges faced by CCNA trainees because of the pandemic and how to best support trainees in response to those challenges. Methods Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working under the supervision of CCNA investigators (n=113) were invited to complete a web-based survey of 13 questions. Trainees were asked questions about the impact of COVID-19 on their research activities, degree progression, funding status, and suggestions for support from the T&CB Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results A total of 41 trainees responded to the survey (response rate: 36.3%); 83% of respondents reported that they experienced changes to their research activities as a result of COVID-19, and 50% anticipated that their degree completion would be delayed. Respondents requested information from the T&CB Program on funding for non-COVID-19 projects, alternative datasets, and short educational workshops. Conclusion The majority of CCNA trainees surveyed experienced sig-nificant changes to their research activities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The T&CB Program responded by switching to online programming and facilitating remote research. Further engagement with trainees is needed to ensure continued progress of research in age-related neurodegenera-tive disease in Canada post-pandemic.

There is general agreement that frailty is a state of heightened vulnerability to stressors arising from impairments in multiple systems leading to declines in homeostatic reserve and resiliency, but unresolved issues persist about its detection, underlying pathophysiology, and relationship with aging, disability, and multimorbidity. A particularly challenging area is the relationship between frailty and hospitalization. Based on the deliberations of a 2014 Canadian expert consultation meeting and a scoping review of the relevant literature between 2005 and 2015, this discussion paper presents a review of the current state of knowledge on frailty in the acute care setting, including its prevalence and ability to both predict the occurrence and outcomes of hospitalization. The examination of the available evidence highlighted a number of specific clinical and research topics requiring additional study. We conclude with a series of consensus recommendations regarding future research priorities in this important area.

Hello! Our fall issue contains a wide range of geriatrics research ranging from improving dental health in older adults,(1) to an examination of the association of cognitive test scores and level of function in older adults.(2) Other papers examine the risk factors for developing dementia in older indigenous persons,(3) and provide an overview of outcomes and results of a pre-conference workshop held prior to the Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Association on Gerontology.(4) Finally we are pleased to present the abstracts presented at the 35th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Geriatrics Society, which was in Montreal this year.(5) Thanks again for your interest!

Hello! The editorial board of the Canadian Geriatrics Journal would like to introduce our second issue of 2015. In this issue we present the abstracts from the recent Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network meeting in Toronto. This group is part of the Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program, whose mandate is to develop, rigorously evaluate, and ethically disseminate information about the use of technologies for the care of seriously ill elderly patients and their families. In addition to the abstracts of the TEEN meeting, we also have a number of original research articles. Dr. Soham Rej and colleagues(1) attempt to examine, with an observational study, the various psychosocial risk factors that are associated with cognitive decline in patients with late life depression. Dr. Laura Middleton(2) examines through a survey methodology barriers to referring patients with minimal cognitive impairment for cardiac rehabilitation. In a similar vein, Dr. Saad Shakeel(3) presents a meta-analysis identifying the feasibility of physical activity programs for patients admitted to long-term care, and Dr. Jeannette Prorok et al.(4) evaluate the effectiveness of a dementia education program for family medicine residents. Dr. Sanjeev Khanagar and colleagues(5) performed a cross-sectional examination of the oral hygiene status of older adults in long-term care in India. We also would like to present an invited commentary on a structured approach to managing disagreements in a health-care setting, by Dr. Kenneth Rockwood.(6) Have a great summer!