Trent Centre for Aging & Society, Peterborough, ON (2025)

10/22/2025

Hearing that you or your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can be scary and come with many questions. However, much is being learned about these diseases and treatments are improving, restoring hope and helping people live with a better quality of life much longer than before.

In order to help the public better understand dementias including Alzheimer’s, their risk factors, what things can be done to lower risk and to learn about some of the more exciting things happening in Alzheimer’s research and treatments, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church is proud to host a free community education event on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, 100 Charlotte Street in Peterborough. The event will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. JoAnne McLaurin, one of Canada’s leading researchers in Alzheimer’s therapeutics, along with panel discussion and Q&A involving several community organizations.

This event is convened in partnership with Kawartha Centre – Redefining Healthy Aging, Age-Friendly Peterborough, and The Alzheimer’s Society, and aims to bring together community members, caregivers, health professionals, and older adults to learn about current research, caregiving practices, risk factors, and supports available locally. St. Paul’s is grateful for the generosity of Princess Gardens Retirement Residence in making light refreshments and their space available for this free public event.

Event Highlights & Agenda

• Welcome and opening remarks — St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

• Keynote presentation: “Advances in Alzheimer’s Research — Pathways to Hope” — Dr. JoAnne McLaurin

• Panel discussion and local resources — representatives from Kawartha Centre – Redefining Healthy Aging, Age-Friendly Peterborough, and The Alzheimer’s Society

• Audience Q&A / discussion

• Light refreshments and networking

Admission is free. All are welcome; seating is limited so the public is encouraged to register by calling the front desk at Princess Gardens to sign up for the event at 705-750-1234.

About Dr. Joanne McLaurin
Dr. McLaurin is Director and Senior Scientist within Biological Sciences Platform at Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canadian Research Chair Tier 1 in Alzheimer’s disease Therapeutics, Lead Theme 1 Preclinical Research in Dementia for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging and a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She is recognized for a body of work on the detrimental effects of amyloid accumulation and benefit of reduction of amyloid using small molecules. Dr. McLaurin’s present focus is translational research to understand factors impacting risk and progression of age-related cognitive decline. Specifically, the discovery of much-needed treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

About the Organizers
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church
St. Paul’s is committed to community outreach, education, and supporting the well-being of local residents, especially older adults and caregivers in our neighbourhood. By hosting this event, the church seeks to foster awareness, connection, and access to knowledge on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in a supportive, inclusive setting.

Kawartha Centre – Redefining Health Aging
Kawartha Centre is a community-based Geriatric Medicine clinic specializing in memory loss, dementia, and related conditions. They provide comprehensive assessments to individuals with memory concerns and consultation and follow-up with 1 of their 5 geriatric medicine specialists. In addition to assessment and consultation, they are also a recognized leader in clinical research and a member of the Consortium of Canadian Centres for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R), participating in international clinical trials for Alzheimer’s Disease and related conditions. Kawartha Centre is committed to being part of treating and ultimately curing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Age-Friendly Peterborough
Age-Friendly Peterborough is a civic and community initiative focused on enhancing the inclusivity, accessibility, and supportiveness of the local region for older adults. It works through partnerships to shape policies, services, and outreach efforts that allow seniors to remain active, connected, and contributing in the community.

The Alzheimer’s Society
The Alzheimer’s Society provides a wide range of services to support people living with dementia, their families, and caregivers. Its main focus is to offer practical advice, emotional support, and reliable information about dementia and related conditions. The organization operates a helpline, local support groups, and online resources where individuals can access guidance on managing symptoms, understanding diagnosis, and planning for the future.

Together, these organizations aim to strengthen local capacity for dementia care, knowledge, and community resilience.

10/21/2025

START TIME CHANGED TO 6:30!

TCAS is pleased to tell you that Dr. Julia Henderson (UBC) will be giving this year's Katz lecture on Tuesday Oct. 28 at the Gathering Space, 7.30 p.m.

The title of her talk is "Unscripting Age: Challenging Cultural Ageism Through Theatre and Performance":

Drawing on her background as a theatre artist, researcher, and occupational therapist, Dr. Julia Henderson discusses theatre’s potential to resist, redress, and re-imagine ageist cultural narratives and representations of older adults. Through analysis of professionally produced plays and community engaged co-creative performance projects (such as Raising the Curtain on the Lived Experience of Dementia, Social Media Series, and the Intergenerational Arts for Climate Action Study), Dr Henderson shares how notions of temporality, relationality, and embodiment can challenge ageist stereotypes and narrative tropes, and illuminate new understandings of older adults doing, being, becoming, and belonging through performance.

Julia Henderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia, an investigator with UBC’s Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, and Chair of the North American Network in Aging Studies. She studies contemporary theatre and uses collaborative arts-based methods to work with older adults on projects that redress cultural ageism, challenge dementia stigma, and promote citizenship. Her writing appears in Theatre Research in Canada, Canadian Theatre Review, Age Culture Humanities, Frontiers in Health Services, and Leisure Sciences. She also has recent chapters in Aging Studies and Ecocriticism, The Palgrave Handbook of Literature and Aging, Pandemic Play: Community in Performance, Gaming, and the Arts, and forthcoming in Late Stage.

Please save the date!

10/17/2025

Hearing that you or your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia can be scary and come with many questions. However, much is being learned about these diseases and treatments are improving, restoring hope and helping people live with a better quality of life much longer than before.

In order to help the public better understand dementias including Alzheimer’s, their risk factors, what things can be done to lower risk and to learn about some of the more exciting things happening in Alzheimer’s research and treatments, St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church is proud to host a free community education event on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia on Thursday, October 23, 2025, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, 100 Charlotte Street in Peterborough. The event will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. JoAnne McLaurin, one of Canada’s leading researchers in Alzheimer’s therapeutics, along with panel discussion and Q&A involving several community organizations.

This event is convened in partnership with Kawartha Centre – Redefining Healthy Aging, Age-Friendly Peterborough, and The Alzheimer’s Society, and aims to bring together community members, caregivers, health professionals, and older adults to learn about current research, caregiving practices, risk factors, and supports available locally. St. Paul’s is grateful for the generosity of Princess Gardens Retirement Residence in making light refreshments and their space available for this free public event.

Event Highlights & Agenda

• Welcome and opening remarks — St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

• Keynote presentation: “Advances in Alzheimer’s Research — Pathways to Hope” — Dr. JoAnne McLaurin

• Panel discussion and local resources — representatives from Kawartha Centre – Redefining Healthy Aging, Age-Friendly Peterborough, and The Alzheimer’s Society

• Audience Q&A / discussion

• Light refreshments and networking

Admission is free. All are welcome; seating is limited so the public is encouraged to register by calling the front desk at Princess Gardens to sign up for the event at 705-750-1234.

About Dr. Joanne McLaurin
Dr. McLaurin is Director and Senior Scientist within Biological Sciences Platform at Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canadian Research Chair Tier 1 in Alzheimer’s disease Therapeutics, Lead Theme 1 Preclinical Research in Dementia for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging and a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She is recognized for a body of work on the detrimental effects of amyloid accumulation and benefit of reduction of amyloid using small molecules. Dr. McLaurin’s present focus is translational research to understand factors impacting risk and progression of age-related cognitive decline. Specifically, the discovery of much-needed treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

About the Organizers
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church
St. Paul’s is committed to community outreach, education, and supporting the well-being of local residents, especially older adults and caregivers in our neighbourhood. By hosting this event, the church seeks to foster awareness, connection, and access to knowledge on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in a supportive, inclusive setting.

Kawartha Centre – Redefining Health Aging
Kawartha Centre is a community-based Geriatric Medicine clinic specializing in memory loss, dementia, and related conditions. They provide comprehensive assessments to individuals with memory concerns and consultation and follow-up with 1 of their 5 geriatric medicine specialists. In addition to assessment and consultation, they are also a recognized leader in clinical research and a member of the Consortium of Canadian Centres for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R), participating in international clinical trials for Alzheimer’s Disease and related conditions. Kawartha Centre is committed to being part of treating and ultimately curing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Age-Friendly Peterborough
Age-Friendly Peterborough is a civic and community initiative focused on enhancing the inclusivity, accessibility, and supportiveness of the local region for older adults. It works through partnerships to shape policies, services, and outreach efforts that allow seniors to remain active, connected, and contributing in the community.

The Alzheimer’s Society
The Alzheimer’s Society provides a wide range of services to support people living with dementia, their families, and caregivers. Its main focus is to offer practical advice, emotional support, and reliable information about dementia and related conditions. The organization operates a helpline, local support groups, and online resources where individuals can access guidance on managing symptoms, understanding diagnosis, and planning for the future.

Together, these organizations aim to strengthen local capacity for dementia care, knowledge, and community resilience.

10/16/2025

A free collection of interactive learning modules is teaching the world to appreciate our differences and build a more accessible future, reimagining how we understand bodies and minds that are outside societal norms. Along with art projects, exhibitions, and research, these modules are featured on a website known as the Worlding Difference Knowledge Platform.

The modules cover current issues related to aging arts, fat activism, disability arts and crip culture, the legacy of eugenics, critical psychologies, re-storying autism, and digital story making. The multimedia learning materials are suited for students, faculty, and the public as well as professionals in a variety of sectors including arts, healthcare, business, politics, and education.

Dr. Nadine Changfoot (TCAS Executive) co-developed the creation of the Aging, Creativity and Accessibility module (https://worldingdifference.ca/modules/aging-arts-accessibility/ ) which features artwork by those who are “aging, of an age, old, older, and/or E/elder.” With sections such as Indigenous Aging, Cripping Aging, and Q***r Aging, the perspectives shared are subversive, original, and deeply personal.

Worlding Difference is part of the Bodies in Translation research project by Re•Vision Centre for Art and Social Justice at the University of Guelph, and it is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Dr. Changfoot serves as the Trent Research Lead.

Created with accessibility and relevance in mind, Worlding Difference has something to offer to educators, academics, artists, activists, storytellers, art appreciators, and the general public.

To learn more, visit https://worldingdifference.ca/

10/08/2025

Queen’s University School of Nursing is hosting a Participatory Knowledge Exchange Event (PKEE) to discuss barriers to diabetes self-management and ways to improve diabetes self-management education (DSME) for older adults in rural communities.

We invite you to share the attached flyer with older adults living with diabetes in rural areas, as well as their family members, care partners, and health professionals.

Event Details: (Virtual) Participants are invited to attend one of two event dates

• Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | 1:00 – 4:00 PM (ET)
• Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 6:00 – 9:00 PM (ET)

This collaborative event will engage older adults, care partners, providers, and policymakers through small-group discussions. Insights will inform our CIHR-IA funded study and the development of more accessible, community-driven DSME programs.

For questions, please email: camargo.research@queensu.ca

10/01/2025

TCAS is pleased to tell you that Dr. Julia Henderson (UBC) will be giving this year's Katz lecture on Tuesday Oct. 28 at the Gathering Space, 7.30 p.m.

The title of her talk is "Unscripting Age: Challenging Cultural Ageism Through Theatre and Performance":

Drawing on her background as a theatre artist, researcher, and occupational therapist, Dr. Julia Henderson discusses theatre’s potential to resist, redress, and re-imagine ageist cultural narratives and representations of older adults. Through analysis of professionally produced plays and community engaged co-creative performance projects (such as Raising the Curtain on the Lived Experience of Dementia, Social Media Series, and the Intergenerational Arts for Climate Action Study), Dr Henderson shares how notions of temporality, relationality, and embodiment can challenge ageist stereotypes and narrative tropes, and illuminate new understandings of older adults doing, being, becoming, and belonging through performance.

Julia Henderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia, an investigator with UBC’s Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, and Chair of the North American Network in Aging Studies. She studies contemporary theatre and uses collaborative arts-based methods to work with older adults on projects that redress cultural ageism, challenge dementia stigma, and promote citizenship. Her writing appears in Theatre Research in Canada, Canadian Theatre Review, Age Culture Humanities, Frontiers in Health Services, and Leisure Sciences. She also has recent chapters in Aging Studies and Ecocriticism, The Palgrave Handbook of Literature and Aging, Pandemic Play: Community in Performance, Gaming, and the Arts, and forthcoming in Late Stage.

Please save the date!

09/23/2025

Intergenerational Classroom at Trent University is Seeking Older Community Participants!

Between January and April, 2026, Trent psychology professor Dr. Elizabeth Russell is inviting older people from the area to join us weekly, as community participants, in a ground-breaking intergenerational classroom!

Embedded within her Psychology of Aging course, community participants will experience a unique opportunity to build meaningful intergenerational connections with students while learning and sharing about aging.

Eligible community participants must be:
- Age 65+
- Available to join us in person on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekly from January 9 until April 3, 2026, at the Trent University Symons Campus

Our goal is to highlight the diverse and unique experiences of aging in a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment. We encourage people from all walks of life, including those from underrepresented groups, to apply!

To learn more about this project or to apply, please visit http://www.trentu.ca/aging/intergenerational, leave a voicemail on 705-748-1011 ext. 7867, or email elizabethrussell@trentu.ca.

09/22/2025

Have you heard our AIIGO Podcast series yet?

Using audio from the Anishinaabe Indigenous Intergenerational Growing Old/Aging (AIIGO) Gathering, we’ve created five thought-provoking episodes that cover Indigenous perspectives on aging, including what it means across generations, how culture and community support us in later life, and lived stories with important teachings.

Use the link below to listen to all five episodes:

https://www.trentu.ca/aging/indigenous-aging

09/10/2025

Meet Cheryl Edwards & Charmaine Magumbe, the women behind the Afrocentric Awareness Network of Peterborough (AANP). From their own experiences growing up in majority-white communities, to building a space that celebrates Black identity and dismantles stereotypes, they’re creating a more inclusive and welcoming city for all.

Read about their journeys, the history that shaped AANP, and the powerful work they’re doing to educate, empower, and connect our community in the Spring/Summer issue of the TCAS Newsletter.

Use the link below!

https://www.trentu.ca/aging/sites/trentu.ca.aging/files/documents/Newsletters/Spring%202025%20Newsletter%20-%20Digital_compressed.pdf

08/21/2025

Use the link below or scan the QR code to access the digital newsletters and read more!

https://www.trentu.ca/aging/newsletter

On February 1st, TCAS sponsored a special ReFrame Film Festival screening of Wilfred Buck (2024) at Trent University. Directed by Lisa Jackson, the documentary follows Cree Elder Wilfred Buck’s journey, intertwining his personal struggles with Indigenous astronomy and cosmology.

In a small city like Peterborough, ReFrame is more than a film festival—it is a cultural pillar that amplifies diverse voices and fosters community dialogue. TCAS and ReFrame share a commitment to knowledge sharing, making their collaboration a natural fit. Moving forward, TCAS can deepen this partnership through future screenings, panel discussions, and projects that bridge research, storytelling, and lived experience. By working together, TCAS and ReFrame can continue using film to spark meaningful conversations, promote intergenerational learning, and strengthen community connections.

Please check out the ReFrame Film Festival using the link below!

https://reframefilmfestival.ca/

08/14/2025

Rupsha Mutsuddi and Dr. Sh*tal Desai are currently organizing a research workshop with people with dementia, caregivers, and healthcare practitioners to look at experiences of everyday activities and loneliness.

Join the 2-Day Workshop on Everyday Activities, Technology & Social Connectedness!

📅 August 25 (in-person at York University)
📅 August 26 (hybrid – Zoom or in-person)
🕤 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM (4 hours each day)

This workshop is designed for people living with dementia, healthcare practitioners who work with people with dementia, and caregivers. Together, you will explore how everyday life, technologies, and social connection intersect through hands-on, creative activities. Participants may join in person or online (Day 2 only).

💡 Day 1: In-person participants will take part in a technology scavenger hunt, trying out digital tools and physical prototypes. You’ll share your feedback and imagine how these technologies could fit into your everyday life. The day will end with a group discussion on envisioning future technologies that feel meaningful and supportive.

🎨 Day 2: Offered in-person or via Zoom, this session includes a beginner-friendly collage activity to reflect on your own experiences with everyday activities and social connectedness. All materials will be provided, and the day concludes with a collaborative discussion.

🍽️ Lunch and morning refreshments will be provided for in-person participants.
💵 Participants will receive $100 as a thank you.
🚗 Travel expenses will be covered for participants

07/22/2025

In this first episode of President Dr. Cathy Bruce's (Right) "Making Strides" series, titled "Aging is Not a Crisis," Dr. Elizabeth Russell (Middle, TCAS executive and former director) shares why it’s time to shift how we think about aging — not as a burden, but as a strength — and how research, policy, and intergenerational learning can help Canada prepare for what’s ahead.

Dr. Nadine Changfoot (Left, TCAS executive and former director) shares that the research of TCAS members is super important for shifting the narrative for aging to be welcomed and to influence change in policy and structures to support aging. Watch the fast-paced 3.5min video at the link below:

https://www.trentu.ca/makingstrides/episodes/episode-1-aging-not-crisis

Trent Centre for Aging & Society

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