Trent Centre for Aging & Society, Peterborough, ON (2026)

03/23/2026

Aging Playfully Webinar

Join the Ontario Age-Friendly Communities Outreach Program for a free webinar on March 23rd from 12-1pm EDT.

In this session we will explore age-friendly communities with a focus on joy, creativity, and play. Join us for an engaging webinar featuring Dr. Maxwell Hartt, Director of the Population and Place Research Lab and Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University. Currently a Fulbright Research Chair at Vanderbilt University and a Craig Dobbin Scholar at University College Dublin, Dr. Hartt brings a global perspective to the evolving conversation on aging and community design.

Drawing on insights from his latest book, Aging Playfully: Reimagining the Possibilities of Age-Friendly Community Design, Dr. Hartt challenges conventional assumptions about later life and the built environment. While age-friendly initiatives have made important strides in promoting inclusion and accessibility, his work invites us to go further—arguing that play is not frivolous, but foundational to health, wellbeing, and social connection across the lifespan.

To register, use the link below:

https://trentu.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=801c3848b0ba18fd79be28eaa&id=befe0cbd35&e=e559ba8adf

03/09/2026

Join the Ontario Age-Friendly Communities Outreach Program March 10th – 12th, 2026 for this three-day virtual conference.

The Canadian population is aging rapidly, making it imperative that our communities are ready to support the well-being and inclusion of older adults. As our collective attention is increasingly fragmented, we aim to:

1. Highlight how age-friendly work fits into big picture conversations; and

2. Enable attendees to strategically incorporate age-friendly talking points into their conversations.

Attendees will leave with a culture shift – an ability to leverage broader policy or structural level priorities to align with and further local age-friendly initiatives.
This event will integrate lived experience, research, and practice-based evidence to support age-friendly development. Additionally, there will be hands-on opportunities to build practical skills to support your own age-friendly work.

The event is intended for provincial and municipal staff, community leaders, people who work with older adults, policy makers, older adults, those in the age-friendly community and beyond.
This free three-day virtual event is organized into three themed days:

• Day 1: Embracing the Opportunities of an Aging Society: Shifting perspectives, Strengthening economies and Supporting care.

• Day 2: Building Age-Friendly Futures: Inclusive Communities, Technology, and Climate resilience for all ages.

• Day 3: Supporting Age-Friendly Community Initiatives: Funding and Communications.

Use the link below to register!

https://csah.ca/building-a-future-for-all-connecting-age-friendly-strategies-to-emerging-priorities-conference-registration/

02/27/2026

TCAS Executive member, Dr. Bharati Sethi, returned from Spain where she presented a paper titled "A Photovoice Study of International Students’ Perceptions of Climate Change in Ontario, Canada" at the 10th World Conference on Qualitative Research (WCQR) in Madrid, Spain.

The study explored international students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the health impact of climate change. Data was collected from twenty graduate students (McMaster University & Trent University) in Ontario, Canada using modified photovoice, an arts-informed method. Students took 5-7 photographs and participated in a 60-90-minute interview to provide a visual and nuanced understanding of their experiences.

02/10/2026

Listen to the latest episode of Wrinkle Radio!

Episode 17: That’s the limit!

When care feels like a trap, what’s next?

In the latest episode of Wrinkle Radio, host Sally Chivers talks with sociologist Janna Klostermann about her new book At the Limits of Care. They talk about stories of women who’ve stepped back from care and what that means for all of us.

From burnout and boundaries to the myth of the “care hero,” this conversation will make you rethink what good care really looks like.

Listen now: wherever you get your podcasts or here https://podcasts.apple.com/.../wrinkle-radio/id1659700043

Learn more about Janna’s book: At the Limits of Care (Journals - University of Toronto Press)

01/31/2026

https://reframefilmfestival.ca/

TCAS is delighted to share that Dr. Jenny Ingram's new documentary, No More Silent Battles, will premiere at the ReFrame Film Festival on January 31st, 2026 at Market Hall in Peterborough, Ontario. It will also be available across Canada for downloading and viewing through ReFrame online from February 3rd – 8th, 2026.

Below is Dr. Jenny Ingram’s statement as the Director:

For me, No More Silent Battles is a deeply personal project. It has been shaped by years of listening to my patients and families as they navigate and negotiate dementia services. They ask me, “Why can’t I find the help I need? Their stories document the battles they face to access government supported care, and once care is allocated, the battles they face to maintain its consistency and predictability. Families ask, “Should it be this hard?” Others plead for help. Still others reveal, “They gave me so little help, I had to quit my job to do theirs.”. This must change. I wanted No More Silent Battles to reshape the conversation about the possibilities for people living with dementia, helping the public understand that life after dementia is diagnosed will be unique for that person and these exceptionalities create the joy, love, and learning, that make us friends, neighbours, and family together. Dementia care must be personalized to the individual, initiated early, and follow them throughout the progression of their journey with the disease. No More Silent Battles targets many audiences. It speaks to people living with dementia and their families. It is also a call to action for politicians and service providers. It highlights the exceptional value of front-line PSW staff who are the most vital and underappreciated part of our health care system. When these essential care providers are trained, knowledgeable, and committed long term to the person they serve, then home care will be viewed as a blessing, not a battle. A welcoming, person-centered home-care system is possible and cost effective. Canada can and must invest in dementia care with community based solutions.

01/29/2026

Collage and Conversations Event with Dr. Elizabeth Russell on Intergenerational Community and Learning

On behalf of Luka Stojanovic and Dr. Collin Chepeka:

We are excited to announce that the next session of Collage and Conversations: Building Community Connections will take place on January 29th from 11:00am-1:00PM at the Friends of the Library Community Room at the Peterborough Public Library. This session will feature Dr. Elizabeth Russell, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University and a past director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society. Dr. Russell will be sharing about an international classroom she created, and hearing from the community about how we can facilitate the development of an intergenerational Trent University. Registration is encouraged (but not necessary) and can be done so at the following link:

https://forms.gle/e2tcuerMCfhSdq9F8

Collage and Conversations: Building Community Connections aims to host conversations with Trent University scholars whose work is relevant and pertinent to issues affecting the Peterborough community. These sessions are not intended to be structured like a lecture. Instead, community members are invited to make collages while engaging in a conversation with scholars and other community members about a specific topic. Our first session hosted author A.J. Withers who discussed their work, Disability Theory and Politics and our most recent session hosted Dr. Stephanie Rutherford who discussed their work on environmental injustice in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong.

We look forward to seeing you there!

01/28/2026

ReFrame Film Festival returns January 30th – February 1st, 2026 in downtown Nogojiwanong / Peterborough, with the virtual program streaming nationwide February 3rd – 8th 2026.

The hope for the festival is to gather people around bold, justice-centred documentaries and the vital conversations that follow. For over twenty years, thousands have joined the ReFrame Film Festival each winter to learn, reflect, and connect across difference.

To learn more about ReFrame Film Festival 2026, click the link below:

https://reframefilmfestival.ca/

TCAS is delighted to share that Dr. Jenny Ingram's new documentary, No More Silent Battles, will premiere at the ReFrame Film Festival on January 31st, 2026 at Market Hall in Peterborough, Ontario. It will also be available across Canada for downloading and viewing through ReFrame online from February 3rd – 8th, 2026!

01/16/2026

Collage and Conversations Event with Dr. Elizabeth Russell on Intergenerational Community and Learning

On behalf of Luka Stojanovic and Dr. Collin Chepeka:

We are excited to announce that the next session of Collage and Conversations: Building Community Connections will take place on January 29th from 11:00am-1:00PM at the Friends of the Library Community Room at the Peterborough Public Library. This session will feature Dr. Elizabeth Russell, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Trent University and a past director of the Trent Centre for Aging & Society. Dr. Russell will be sharing about an international classroom she created, and hearing from the community about how we can facilitate the development of an intergenerational Trent University. Registration is encouraged (but not necessary) and can be done so at the following link:

https://forms.gle/e2tcuerMCfhSdq9F8

Collage and Conversations: Building Community Connections aims to host conversations with Trent University scholars whose work is relevant and pertinent to issues affecting the Peterborough community. These sessions are not intended to be structured like a lecture. Instead, community members are invited to make collages while engaging in a conversation with scholars and other community members about a specific topic. Our first session hosted author A.J. Withers who discussed their work, Disability Theory and Politics and our most recent session hosted Dr. Stephanie Rutherford who discussed their work on environmental injustice in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong.

We look forward to seeing you there!

01/12/2026

The Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster University is now accepting applications to MA in Health & Aging, PhD in Health & Aging, and PhD in Social Gerontology programs for September 2026 admissions

The deadline to apply is Wednesday January 14th, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

To learn more about the program, eligibility, requirements, supervisors, and application details, click the link below:

https://healthagingandsociety.mcmaster.ca/

12/12/2025

On September 21st, 2025 Dr. Kontos and Dr. Bar, in partnership with KITE Research Institute, Canada's National Ballet School (NBS), and Mid-Career Productions, co-led ‘Reframing Dementia: Challenging Stigma Through Film & Art’ to challenge stigma associated with dementia and to help shift the dominant narrative about dementia from loss and decline, to hope and new possibilities.

Two short films were screened:

Dancer Not Dementia focuses on the transformative power of dance to support creativity, sociability, and social inclusion;

Sugar Dumplin focuses on a Caribbean family and the importance of their culture food for bridging relationships with people living with dementia.

This was followed by a conversation with the filmmakers, a short demo of the Sharing Dance Older Adults program that features in Dancer Not Dementia, a catered reception featuring artwork made by or inspired by people living with dementia, and a special performance courtesy of Caribana Arts Group. The event drew 130+ attendees.

*Picture of audience members participating in the Sharing Dance Older Adults demo during the film screening portion of the event at the Betty Oliphant Theatre. Photo credit: Tim Fraser/KITE Studio.

11/29/2025

Call for Abstracts: 15th World Conference of the International Society for Gerontechnology.

The website for the 15th World Conference of the International Society for Gerontechnology is now open. You are invited to submit an abstract for a symposium, free paper, or poster. The deadline is December 1, 2025, but there will be early review and acceptance. For more information about the conference objectives, keynote speakers, site visits, social program, and more, click the link below!

trentu.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=801c3848b0ba18fd79be28eaa&id=830d40d385&e=e559ba8adf

11/21/2025

The Trent Centre for Aging & Society wishes to acknowledge and celebrate the following Trent participants at The Canadian Association on Gerontology, 54th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting, October 23-25, 2025, Montreal.

Theme: Radical Relationality and Aging: Creativity, Community, Connection

The presentations and posters were excellent, the collegiality wonderful, and Trent's outstanding research on aging was well represented.

Yusi Chang
Nadine Changfoot
Sally Chivers (also keynote address)
Stephen Katz
An Korsurko
Barbara Marshall
Shawna Peddar
Kim Ritchie
Bharati Sethi

What Scares You About Aging? Sally Chivers Delivers Keynote at 2025 CAG Conference

TCAS executive member and past Director Sally Chivers (pictured) delivered a keynote address at the Canadian Association for Gerontology Conference in Montreal. Her talk, “Don’t Panic: Fear and the Stories We Tell about Age” showcased how her podcast Wrinkle Radio is the product of decades of research she has conducted on stories about aging in literature, film, popular culture, and scholarship on aging. She invited hundreds of listeners to accept that fear is an understandable part of growing old. She encouraged researchers to consider how accepting fear might change the questions they ask and how they invite participants into research.

Conversations about the keynote could be heard through the remainder of the conference, with attendees sharing that they could hardly sit still they were so excited, that they would bring these ideas back to their research teams, and that these were exactly the questions that gerontology needs to ask right now.

Trent Centre for Aging & Society