How to enhance older adult participation in community programs
Are your community events consistently attended by the same small group of older adults? Expanding participation to include a larger and more diverse audience can enhance the vibrancy and inclusivity of your programs.
Join an Age Friendly Communities’ webinar on December 4 at 10:30am when our panel of experts will offer strategies for municipalities to increase attendance in community programs and broaden the diversity of attendees. Presenters will include Sahra-Lea Tosdevine-Tataryn, Age Friendly Strategy for Seniors Project Manager for the City of Surrey; Dr. Joanie Sims-Gould, Executive Director of the Active Aging Society; Christa Hoy, Program and Evaluation Manager with the Active Aging Research Team; and Harveen Basra, a Research Coordinator with the Active Aging Research Team.
Tosdevine-Tataryn has worked for municipal governments with Parks, Recreation and Culture for over 35 years. She has held many roles and is most passionate about the development of relationships within the community. Through a collaborative and partnership approach she has initiated and implemented a wide range of community projects, programs and events for all ages and abilities. Most recently, she led the process to update the Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan and currently coordinates the Surrey Age Friendly Network.
Dr. Sims-Gould, Hoy and Basra represent UBC’s Active Aging Research Team and the Active Aging Society. The Active Aging Research team designs, implements and evaluates scale-up of flexible health promoting interventions for older adults, adapted to population and setting. Choose to Move (www.choosetomove.ca ) aims to improve the health and well-being of British Columbians 55+ through physical activity and social connections, and is the signature initiative of the Active Aging Society.
Dr. Sims-Gould is a Principal Scientist of the Active Aging Research team (www.activeagingrt.ca ), Executive Director of the Active Aging Society and a Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia. The goal of Dr. Gould’s work is to “add life to the later years”.
Hoy is the Senior Manager, Programs and Evaluation with the Active Aging Research Team. She works to develop, maintain and support partnerships with organizations of all shapes and sizes across the province to deliver and evaluate Choose to Move.
Basra is a Research Coordinator with the Active Aging Research Team. She leads the team’s work to adapt, deliver and evaluate Choose to Move for Punjabi-speaking older adults.
Objectives:
- Sharing Success: Showcase examples of community programs that demonstrate effective strategies for enhancing older adult engagement with local governments and community organizations.
- Engage Diverse Populations: Discuss best practices and innovative approaches for reaching a variety of older adults across different backgrounds and demographics.
- Address Recruitment Challenges: Identify common barriers to participation and explore practical solutions for overcoming them to increase older adult involvement.
- Foster Collaborative Partnerships: Highlight the importance of collaboration between local governments and community-based organizations to improve engagement with older adults and create impactful programming.