March 2025

Members of the Seniors Watch Old Ottawa South (SWOOS) gather for a community event, promoting aging in place initiatives.

In the beginning there was SWOOS…

Senior Watch Old Ottawa South (SWOOS) was the inspiration of Anna Cuylits, a community-minded resident of Old Ottawa South (OOS) when, in the late winter of 2018, she became concerned about difficult winter walking conditions in the neighbourhood. She reached out to older adults in an article in the community newspaper, OSCAR (Ottawa South Community Association Report), asking if others would come together to address this and other aging in place issues.

By October 2018 enough interest was demonstrated that Anna and her new committee, SWOOS, were welcomed onto the OOS Community Association board. SWOOS provided a forum for seniors to share information about health, housing, fitness and, of course, winter walking safety. There was an article from the Committee almost every month in the OSCAR with useful information for those wanting to age in the community. An active group participated in the Council on Aging’s winter walkability program, the Snow Moles. Intergenerational activities were also of interest and during the early period an intergenerational bench was placed on Bank Street near Hopewell School [in the neighbourhood].

SWOOS undertook a survey in 2020 regarding primary care in Old Ottawa South, the Glebe and Old Ottawa East and concluded that there was a serious lack of primary care. We received stories from many families about being registered with “Health Care Connect” for years without this leading to a primary health care provider. Initial efforts were directed at advocacy and it was becoming clear that the senior population of OOS was insufficient to make an impact on government and policy makers. Gradually SWOOS expanded its partner base in central Ottawa. In the spring of 2022, the Glebe Community Association, followed shortly by the Glebe Annex, resolved to support the SWOOS effort to bring a senior health hub to central Ottawa.

In parallel with these efforts, SWOOS recognized that “next stage” housing was a preoccupation of many seniors. In February 2020, SWOOS launched an online OOS Housing Survey for residents of all ages to indicate what housing options would be valuable in the community. The results of the survey were published in the OSCAR; they confirmed that residents living here wanted to move to smaller and newer accommodation and to stay in the area. More than 77% said they would be interested in being part of a community in the building and sharing responsibility.

The SWOOS housing group pursued an Abbeyfield model of seniors housing – a non-profit, small group, community-based model. Our councillor linked the housing group with the developer of a proposed high rise on the south-west corner of Riverside and Bank. Concurrently the group incorporated as a federal not-for-profit under the name Abbeyfield Riverside (AR). Construction on that site was postponed and the AR board is now looking at other locations.

The Seniors Health Innovations Hub (SHIH) – an idea is hatched

Given the need for expansion beyond OOS to represent a broader base of seniors, Terry Hunsley, a co-chair with Anna on SWOOS, introduced the concept of the Seniors Health Innovations Hub (SHIH) organized under the auspices of SWOOS. The SHIH’s strategy is to encourage innovations to provide enhanced aging in place services, focusing less on political advocacy than had been done in the past. The focus of the SHIH is 4-pronged: primary care, home care, technology and housing.

In late 2022, Terry proposed the use of nurse practitioners to provide geriatric primary care and in the spring of 2023, the SHIH partnered with the Centretown Community Health Centre and Perley Health to respond to a call from Ontario Health for an Expression of Interest for Interprofessional Primary Care Teams. Although funding was not received in that round, there has been a lot of support and encouragement for the proposal . During the ensuing year, many measures have been taken to promote the proposal, as outlined in our 2024 Update.

The Home Care and Community Support group, under the leadership of Maura Giuliani, recognized that one of the main issues faced by seniors living in the community was finding the services they needed – home care, support services, caregiver support, housing, technology, and finances. They developed a short Guide to Healthy Aging in the Community that was posted on the OSCA site.

In order to promote the concept of the SHIH, Carolyn Inch applied to the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for funding to expand and print the short Guide. With the $25,000 grant, the online Guide was enlarged and improved by advice from experts and additional central Ottawa community representatives. The resulting online Guide to Healthy Aging in the Community covers a wide range of healthy aging topics and contacts for the community.

17,000 copies of an abbreviated Guide were printed and inserted into community newspapers and distributed on newsstands throughout central Ottawa. It contained a questionnaire asking the community about their perception of services required for aging in place. Their responses are outlined in this Report on the Community Feedback Questionnaire. More than 200 individuals expressed interest and left contact information to be kept informed of our activities or to volunteer with the SHIH.

During the same period (2019 to present) a team has focused on technology for aging in place under the leadership of Patricia Eakins. They have worked primarily with Carleton University’s and Bruyere’s Age-well’s SAM 3 team looking for funding to develop a wellness app, as well as providing volunteers who are interested in participating in some of their research projects. As well, the SHIH has a representative, Peter Heyck, on the National Research Council’s Aging in Place Challenge Program. This is an effort on the part of the federal government to develop new technologies for aging in place.

In the summer of 2023, an event in Windsor Park called Innovations in the Park, gave the SHIH visibility in the community, as a similar event in 2022 had done for SWOOS. By then Margaret Tansey, a retired senior hospital administrator and nurse practitioner, became Chairof the SHIH and enhanced the credibility of the primary care file.

The SHIH remains committed to exploring housing options. Terry Hunsley has advanced a proposal called  Village Canada, an intergenerational seniors village on Confederation Heights.

Leaving the nest…

The SHIH was affiliated with SWOOS until October 2024 when a letter was written to the president of OSCA from the SHIH chair expressing gratitude for the umbrella of the community association over the years.

As has been the case since its inception, the SHIH acts as an inclusive catalyst for innovations to support aging in the place you chose in central Ottawa.