Centre for Aging and Community

The Centre aspires to promote healthy aging through optimization of quality of life and community resources for older adults. Through innovation, collaboration and interdisciplinary research, researchers work with older adults and their communities in order to address challenges and facilitate opportunities in all realms of daily life, including social, physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual and political spheres.

The intention of the Centre is two-fold:

1. As a centre for research, its purpose is to promote and advance research on issues related to aging from a number of perspectives and disciplines.
2. As a centre for community engagement, its purpose is to create spaces for raising awareness, engaging in meaningful dialogue and inspiring effective action in response to specific concerns of an aging society.

The interplay between research and community contributes to knowledge creation and community action.
The Centre also aims to strengthen the connection between research and the community. This is achieved in a number of ways, including:

• Community member participation in the research itself and feedback into the community
• Granting awards for student research
• Programming that gathers researchers and community members in response to a broad range of issues that concern the psychological, social, ethical, spiritual, religious and moral dimensions of an aging society
• Collaborating with organizations, community members, leaders, professionals, researchers and policy makers to explore and create new possibilities for the wellbeing of all in this aging society.

The Centre for Aging and Community brings together researchers from a range of disciplines — including psychology, counselling, philosophy, and medicine — to explore creative ways to examine aging and promote opportunities to enhance healthy aging and wellbeing. We work alongside older adults, community organizations, healthcare practitioners, and industry partners to explore strengths and challenges of the experiences of older adults.

The Centre’s primary research axes are:

1. Cognitive Aging and Dementia
2. Optimizing Mobility
3. Caregiving: Quality of life and meaning
4. Community, Care and Connectivity
5. Interventions to optimize quality of life

Participate in a Study

Would you like to participate in an upcoming study? Please complete this short survey and we will contact you if you meet criteria for one of our upcoming studies!

We are truly grateful for your participation as our research would not be possible without your help! Please note that you can remove yourself from our list at any time by contacting Dr. Stephanie Yamin at syamin@ustpaul.ca.

The Centre has identified three areas of focus for soliciting community engagement:

1. Social isolation: Equipping persons and groups for community action
   • Epidemic of loneliness: What is our moral responsibility?
2. Life review: Finding your spiritual roots
   • Who am I? Finding meaning and purpose in life.
3. Paradigm shift: Moving from an “I” culture to “We” culture
   • Engaging community in this historic change to an aging society.

Outreach and Partnerships

In its research, the Centre is affiliated with a number of partners, both institutionally and through the networks of the researchers themselves. In its community engagement, the Centre serves the community at large through outreach and engagement with a variety of individuals and organizations in sectors related to aging. It also serves the University community through its research, programming and through annual awards for students to support their studies and research in issues related to aging.

Funding

The Centre is funded by a generous leadership gift as a cornerstone contribution towards the establishment of this Centre. The administration of the gift is managed in accordance with the policies of the University. The University continues to seek grants and further donor contributions in order to extend its mandate for research and community engagement.

Each year, the Centre funds two awards of $2,500 for students enrolled on a full-time basis in graduate studies (master’s or doctorate) at Saint Paul University who are conducting original research that explores issues related to aging and community.