This project aims to create a virtual gathering space connecting seniors with each other and experts to address the issues that matter most to them when it comes to aging in place healthily and safely.
During fall 2022 and winter 2023, a series of Community Conversations, co-created with seniors, are being held on various topics related to aging in place.
- Events are at no cost
- Events will be 90 minutes or less in duration
- Participants will be able to participate via phone or online using Zoom
- Ample technology support will be provided before and during the events to ensure easy access and meaningful participation
- Highlights of the discussions and opportunities for action will be summarized and made available following the events
What aging in place means
CanAge defines “aging in place” as being when a person lives and ages in their residence of choice (including but not limited to condo, apartment, retirement home, long-term care home, house), for as long as they are able to do so. Aging in place includes having services, care and needed support in the residence. These needs may change over time and as the individual ages.
Barriers to aging in place
Seniors have spoken and the majority want to live independently and age at home, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Ageing (2020). Despite this strong desire, only 26 per cent of Canadians predict they will be able to age in place in their current home.
One of the significant obstacles to living independently beyond the age of 65 is the increased likelihood of suffering a fall-related injury. Of Canadian seniors, 20-to-30 per cent fall each year. According to Parachute’s Cost of Injury in Canada 2021 report, seniors’ falls in Canada resulted in 4,849 deaths, 94,529 hospitalizations, and 28,310 disabilities in 2018, the last year for which national data are available.
Project partners
In addition to funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, this project is supported by a planning committee made up of seniors and representatives from organizations serving seniors, including:
This project is funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.