Webinar Series: Enabling Aging in Place

Join us for the final session in the Enabling Aging in Place webinar series — a dynamic live discussion on what it truly takes to support aging with dignity across Canada.

From community initiatives to government action, we’ll dive into the key priorities that can shape a future where everyone can age well, wherever they call home. Don’t miss this powerful conversation with leaders and changemakers driving real solutions.

Speakers 

• Bella Petawabano, Chairperson of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services James Bay and current Community Representative on the board for the Cree Nation of Mistissini

• Dr. Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard, Full Professor - School of Nursing Research Chair in Population Aging Director - Centre on Aging Université de Moncton 

• Zannat Reza, Chief Impact Officer, HelpAge Canada 

• Dr. Samir K. Sinha, MD, DPhil, FRCPC, FRSM, FCAHS, AGSF, Geriatrician and Clinician Scientist, Sinai Health System and University Health Network, Director of Health Policy Research, National Institute on Ageing

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Who should attend

• People working in healthcare, social work, or community services

• Community leaders, facilitators, and volunteers 

• Program managers and team leads working in healthcare, home and community care and across levels of government

• Anyone interested in exploring the value of community-led initiatives across sectors

Building collaborative community-led supports involves partnerships that span health, social and community sectors. Communicating the value for each partner is key to ongoing involvement and sustainability.

This webinar will provide an overview of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology which provides a measure of the value for each of these sectors. Using the Connecting People & Community for Living Well initiative as an example, presenters will demonstrate how SROI can deepen our understanding of the impact of collaborative, community-led initiatives.

Speakers

• Helen Lightfoot, Senior Practice Consultant at Connecting People & Community for Living Well, Assisted Living Alberta

• Anne Miller, Principal Consultant at Constellation Consulting Group

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Who should attend

• People working in healthcare, social work, or community services

• Community leaders, facilitators, and volunteers 

• Program managers and team leads working in healthcare, home and community care and across levels of government

• Anyone interested in exploring the value of community-led initiatives across sectors

Aging isn’t a challenge to overcome; it’s our perception of aging that needs a shift. Negative perceptions and stereotypes about aging can significantly affect older adults, diminishing their self-worth, independence, safety, mental and physical health, social life and financial wellbeing.

Join us for a webinar with British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate, Dan Levitt, to discover how ageism hides in our everyday conversations and occurrences. Be part of a conversation about how we can change the narrative on aging to foster a culture where older adults contribute to our communities and enhance quality of life across the age continuum.

Speaker

Dan Levitt, British Columbia’s Seniors Advocate

Host

Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Who should attend

• Older adults who want to feel seen, heard and valued

• Family, friends and caregivers who support older adults

• People working in healthcare, social work, or community services

• Anyone interested in changing how we think and talk about aging

Supporting people to ‘age in place’ offers countless opportunities for meaningful conversations about care planning, serious illness, grief, and loss. Still, fear and concern often hold us back—the worry that we won’t know what to say or that we’ll say the wrong thing can prevent us from stepping into these important moments of connection.

These conversations don’t have to feel overwhelming. By bringing compassion to the way we listen, speak, and share honestly, we can make these moments more manageable—for ourselves and for those we care for.

This webinar is a space to approach these essential conversations with courage and empathy. Anchored in the question, “What does a good day look like?”—a principle inspired by asset-based community development and the Good Life Conversation—we will explore how to gently start conversations about advance care planning, recognize and respond to grief, and foster environments that enable meaningful and transformative discussions.

Whether you’re a caregiver, provider, or program leader, this session will support you in building the courage and skill to connect meaningfully during life’s most complex moments.

Speaker

• Nadine Valk, Nadine Valk Coaching

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Who should attend

• Health and social care providers supporting people aging in place

• Caregivers and family members navigating illness, loss, and care conversations

• Community leaders, facilitators, and volunteers

• Program managers and team leads working in healthcare, long-term care, or home and community care

• Anyone seeking practical tools to build compassionate communication skills

Your work makes a difference—but are you communicating that impact in a way that connects with people?

The way you talk about your work can help build support, strengthen relationships, and inspire action. Whether you're looking to engage your community, attract funding, or advocate for change, learning how to craft and share meaningful stories is essential.

Join us for a hands-on, virtual workshop designed to help you effectively communicate your work and its impact.

What you’ll learn

Using a real case study from the Alliance for Healthier Communities, you’ll learn:

• How to structure compelling stories: Break down the key elements of a strong narrative.

• Step-by-step storytelling techniques: Learn how to draft and refine a story that resonates.

• Where and how to share your impact: Discover ways to use storytelling across different platforms.

• Ethical and community-centered storytelling: Ensure respect, authenticity, and integrity in your messaging.

By the end of the webinar, you'll have the skills and confidence to craft powerful stories that inspire action and amplify your organization's impact.

Who should attend?

This webinar is designed for health, social and community organizations that want to improve the way they communicate their work. Whether you’re in leadership, communications, fundraising, advocacy or community engagement, this webinar will give you practical tools to enhance your storytelling.

Speaker

Led by Jason Rehel, a Public and Media Relations Specialist with over 20 years of experience in journalism and healthcare communications.

Supported by Enabling Aging in Place

Supported by the Enabling Aging in Place collaborative, this workshop was created in response to participating teams’ interest in being able to communicate their impact more effectively, particularly through qualitative data and stories.

1 in 4 people in Canada are caregivers, providing health, social, emotional and physical support to those they care for. Yet they are often under-recognized and under-supported by the healthcare system.

In this webinar, participants will explore how health and social providers can adopt a Caregiver-Centered approach, improving the well-being and inclusion of family caregivers. Learn about practical strategies to implementing caregiver-centred care and how it can decrease caregiver burden, social isolation and improve the overall quality of the care experience.

The Caregiver-Centered Care initiative has developed award-winning, competency-based education for health and social care providers and leaders to develop the knowledge, skills, and ability to recognize, partner and support family caregivers in practice. Participants will have access to educational resources to help develop their skills and confidence in providing caregiver-centred care.

Speakers

• Jasneet Parmar, Ph.D., Caregiver-Centered Care Project Lead, University of Alberta, Department of Family Medicine

• Glenda Tarnowski, Caregiver-Centered Care Growth & Partnerships, University of Alberta, Department of Family Medicine

• Alison McKelvey-Jozsa, Social Worker, Caregiver Program, Specialized Geriatric Services, Alberta Health Services

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Resources

• Access educational resources to help develop your skills and confidence in providing caregiver-centred care.

• Learn more about the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) through the Advanced Level Caregiver-Centred Care Education.

• Learn more about The Hidden Workforce: Optimizing Support for Family Caregivers (PDF 846 KB) and how to empower caregivers and ensure they receive the recognition and resources they deserve.

In this session, participants learned about fostering inclusive, safe and supportive environments tailored to the unique experiences and needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ older adults. Leaders from Rainbow Health Ontario and Dignity Seniors Society shared insights into their organizations and services, community engagement and advocacy efforts, lived experience and strategies that support 2SLGBTQIA+ older adults in aging at home.

Speakers

• Darren Usher (he/him), Chair, Board of Directors, Dignity Seniors Society

• Tanya Neumeyer (they/them), Clinical Educator, Rainbow Health Ontario

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Compassionate Communities (Québec)

By bringing together the strengths of the local community and healthcare system, Compassionate Communities can help people identify their needs related to bereavement and significant losses to define the appropriate solutions. Working collaboratively ensures that everyone receives practical support and focuses on promoting health and end-of-life care.

Speakers

• Émilie Lessard, Ph.D., Participatory Evaluation Lead, Canada Research Chair in Partnership with patients and communities, Centre de recherche du CHUM

• Cynthia Lapointe, Compassionate Community Development Project Manager for the West Island Region, Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence

Circle of Connection, Drumheller Community Seniors Coalition (Alberta)

The Circle of Connection program is designed to provide social interaction, support, and activities to people living with dementia, their families, support people, and those at risk of isolation or without a social support network. These outings help familiarize participants with what’s in their community, reveal individual interests among the participants, and educate the venues about supporting those living with dementia as part of their activities. Circle of Connection has also started a program to support caregivers connecting with other caregivers in the community.

Speakers

• Kim Larsen, Community Liaison Coordinator/Wellness Coordinator, Big Country Primary Care Network

• Amanda Panisiak, Primary Care Nurse, Big Country Primary Care Network, Drumheller Associated Physicians Clinic

Host

• Maëlle Marchand, Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Nav-CARE (British Columbia and Alberta)

People with declining health often have unmet needs and experience social isolation, resulting in poor quality of life. The Nav-CARE program supports individuals facing health challenges at home by connecting them with experienced volunteers who are trained to help with their unmet needs. Volunteer navigators work with clients to enhance their quality of life and independence, and foster community connections.

Speakers

• Gloria Puurveen, PhD, Nav-CARE Project Manager & Knowledge Translation Lead

NORCs Innovation Centre (Ontario)

The University Health Network NORC Model is based in housing environments, such as apartment buildings, condos and co-ops, that have organically adapted to the increasing population of older adults. These settings provide an opportunity to leverage the density of older adults living in one place with enhanced health, social, and physical programs and supports that enable older adults to age in place.

Speakers

• Melissa Chang, Director of Operations and Sustainability, NORC Innovation Centre at UHN; Senior Director, UHN Connected Care

• Jen Recknagel, Director of Innovation and Design NORC Innovation Centre at UHN

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada

Seniors Social Prescribing (Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge, British Columbia)

The Seniors Social Prescribing program connects seniors to community programming, services and resources that will help them thrive and remain connected and independent for as long as possible.

Social Prescribing works alongside clinical treatments to address people’s needs in a holistic way. Social prescription can include physical activities, social activities, nutrition/food security programs, caregiver programs, and opportunities to access services in the community.

Speakers

• Sandi Temple, Seniors Community Connector

• Joanne Leginus, Program Director, Seniors Services

Nursing Home Without Walls (New Brunswick)

The New Brunswick-based Nursing Home Without Walls program promotes healthy aging at home ensuring older adults (and their caregivers) can age in place with access to appropriate knowledge, support and services. NHWW programs are hosted by nursing homes to leverage their trusted knowledge of the local community, community resources and aging. They also work to empower the local community to respond to the needs of an aging population.

Speakers

• Suzanne Dupuis-Blanchard, Researcher

• Terissa Salmon, Seniors Navigator

Host

• Andrea Piché, Senior Program Lead, Healthcare Excellence Canada