This project aimed 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 four Community Conversations events were held on various topics related to aging in place. The events were co-created and facilitated by seniors and were attended by seniors from across Canada. Recordings, discussion summaries and information packages associated with each event are available under ‘Resources’ below.
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.
About the Community Conversation sessions
Here’s a little bit more about the four Community Conversations sessions:
- Each session was facilitated by a senior and featured a subject matter expert who introduced the topic of the session. Then, a senior would share a personal story to complement the topic introduction and provide a “dose of reality”.
- To determine topics of interest for the sessions, Parachute surveyed seniors from across Canada and used evaluations from each session to inform the next.
- Participating seniors then had the opportunity to engage in guided discussion with a facilitator in breakout rooms.
- Following the discussions, facilitators shared key insights with all participants and subject matter experts responded to questions while seniors were able to provide additional input.
Findings from these Community Conversations sessions will be used by Parachute, our partners and other organizations to inform and shape future work in this area.
Project partners
In addition to funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, this project received support from a planning committee made up of seniors and representatives from organizations serving seniors, including:
This project was funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.