Greetings from the Seniors Health Innovations Hub

In our last communication, we updated readers about housing, primary care and technology. While we have some news to share about those teams, both good and not so good, our main motivation in sending out this email is to support the work of Alixe Ménard who we were fortunate enough to hire as a Masters student when we received a New Horizons for Seniors grant in 2023.

Research Participants Needed – Doctoral Study on Dementia and Hospital Care 

The SHIH benefitted from Alixe’s knowledge of aging and from her technical abilities in ways that we never anticipated. She took the myriad of responses to the Community Feedback Questionnaire and formulated this impressive Report.  As Alixe has always pursued an academic interest in healthy aging, even as a Masters student she was helpful to us in reviewing our online Guide to Healthy Aging in the Community. 

To this day, when we have technical difficulties, Alixe makes herself available so it is with gratitude that we are able to do something for her by using our mailing list to publicize her worthy research.

This is the email the SHIH received from Alixe:

As you might remember, I’m doing my doctorate in Population Health at the University of Ottawa. I’m reaching out to seek SHIH’s support with participant recruitment for my doctoral research.

My thesis focuses on dementia stigma in hospitals and its potential impact on quality of care for people living with dementia. As part of this work, I’m conducting one-hour interviews (virtual, or in-person if in Ottawa, offered in French or English) with people living with dementia and caregivers of people living with dementia to better understand how hospital processes and interactions affect care experiences and outcomes.

All participants will receive $40 compensation.  Please see this Poster for more information. 

If you qualify and are interested, contact Alixe by email amena069@uOttawa.ca

Primary Care Team Update

In the last two months, we continued to work with the Centretown Community Health Centre to identify opportunities where local primary care capacity could be increased.

In September, the Ontario Ministry of Health (Jane Philpott) announced the second round of funding to increase primary care; submissions are due November 14. We have been informed that the Ministry’s priority at this moment is to clear the waiting list of individuals on Health Care Connect. It was also confirmed that specialized populations, such as older adults, will not be considered at this time. The next round of funding is anticipated to be in the fall of 2026.

Our Primary Care Team is disappointed with the above direction.  We will, however, continue to scan the environment for opportunities to strengthen and advocate for seniors to receive the primary care that is essential to support healthy aging. We may call upon you for assistance in sending the message to the provincial government that primary care for older adults remains an urgent need.  Those who attended our June Forum were treated to a detailed analysis by the Ottawa OHT-ÈSO of the unattachment rate for seniors in Ontario and Ottawa.

On a brighter note, in the last update we provided information on new primary care providers in Ottawa. We hope that some of you managed to get attached.

Village Canada Update

Since the last update in early fall, we continue to be optimistic as interest and participation in our Consortium grows.

Last June, we invited you to a consultation on the fate of Confederation Heights hosted by Canada Lands Company (CLC). Many attended and CLC heard from our community that a non-profit intergenerational seniors’ village on leased federal land was a highly supported proposal. As well, given the demographic pressures, the process for approvals and building needed to be accelerated. Use this link to refresh your memory of the vision being proposed.

CLC appears to have heard and agreed. We had two meetings with them in the last 6 weeks and at the last we were advised that we are welcome to offer our ideas for development at a Request for Interest opportunity related to the two existing heritage buildings at 875 Heron Road. That process will be opened early in the new year, even in advance of approval of the City’s Secondary Plan. This will allow CLC to consider the interest of developers and other non-profit groups such as Village Canada. 

The tone is highly encouraging so we are planning to contact Build Canada Homes to determine what their role could be in our vision. They may even be the developers in this case.  

As well, we are working on forming a non-profit corporation and finding funding for planning within the next few weeks.  Many consortium members have their own capital plans to manage and would like to have Village Canada provide a ‘backbone’ for building with synergy with the other agencies. Consortium members include: Abbotsford Seniors Centre, Glebe House, Abbeyfield Riverside, Perley Health, Southeast Ottawa Community Health Centre, Carleton University’s SAM3 AGE-WELL National Innovation Hub and School of Architecture, and the RA Centre among others.

If this vision appeals to you, we encourage you to write to your MP, MPP or City Councillor telling them that you want to see this development proceed.  The representatives for Confederation Heights are: MP yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca; MPP jfraser.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org; and Councillor Shawn Menard capitalward@ottawa.ca. 

As well, you can write to the Canada Lands Company (at confederationheights@clc-sic.ca) who are managing the process.

Please feel free to forward this update to others who may be interested.

CONTACT US – please use this SHIH email.