Trent Centre for Aging & Society

05/08/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlk8PU6doIg

On the Move! is a unique exercise program offered to people living with Parkinson’s in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes

On The Move! classes will start again in October 2026.

The program follows these five evidence-based principles:

1. it encourages participants safely to a higher level of exertion,

2. it incorporates movement repetition set to fun music to allow participants to benefit from cyclic, rhythmic movements,

3. it incorporates many big movements that challenge participants to expand their range of motion, safely test their balance limits, and build core strength,

4. it encourages participants to learn complex movements and sequences that challenge coordination, attention, and memory,

5. and we have a lot of fun!

Learn more about On the Move! here:

https://actlab.squarespace.com/otm

Led by Professor Liana Brown, Trent University.

Learn more about Liana here:

https://www.trentu.ca/psychology/faculty-research/liana-brown-profile

Video created by Brooke Ambury, Mikayla Smith, and Benjamin Darkwa as a component of their graduate course "Professional Practice in Knowledge Mobilization", taught by Dr. Elizabeth Russell in Winter, 2026.

Learn more about On the Move! here: https://actlab.squarespace.com/otmLed by Professor Liana Brown, Trent University. Learn more about Liana here: https://ww...

04/30/2026

Check out these new promotional videos on our Master’s of Interdisciplinary Aging Studies graduate program!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1TT3FxszUJ58MN0VCsY-xSmRgM3Qkjnm&si=LkcZLys5zT6E_pcU

Videos created by Brooke Ambury, Benjamin Darkwa, and Mikayla Smith, students in the MA AGNG, as a component of AGNG 5003, Professional Practice in Knowledge Mobilization (Winter, 2026) taught by Dr. Elizabeth Russell

To learn more about Trent's new Master's in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies Graduate Program, please check out https://www.trentu.ca/aging/ma-interdisciplinary-aging-studies or email aging_grad@trentu.ca

Videos to share about our MA in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies (MA AGNG) graduate program! To learn more about Trent's new Master's in Interdisciplinary Agi...

04/21/2026

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is pleased to announce the 2026 UArctic Webinar Series, designed to explore key issues affecting the Arctic and Northern communities.

As a network of universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations, UArctic supports collaboration for education and research in and about the North.

This Webinar Series will bring together experts, researchers, and community leaders to discuss ethics in Northern and Indigenous research, the community impacts of small and Northern institutions, arctic waste, and arctic security.

The first webinar is:
Ethics in Northern Indigenous Research

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/webinar-1-ethics-in-northern-and-indigenous-research-tickets-1985382317958?aff=oddtdtcreator

Moderator and Panelists TBD
April 22, 2026 | 2:00 PM NST

- Ethical frameworks for research in Northern contexts

- Indigenous research governance and community leadership

- Building long-term relationships and trust

- Institutional responsibilities and best practices

Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars taking place in June, September, and November 2026!

04/21/2026

Queering Dementia: Current Research on LGBTQ+ People Living with Dementia

This online symposium brings together current international scholarship on LGBTQ+ people living with dementia. Speakers include: Chris Maddocks, Louisa Smith, Marjorie Silverman, Alexandre Baril, Toni Calasanti, Arne Stinchcombe, Linn J. Sandberg, and Anna Siverskog.

The symposium is organised by Professor Linn J. Sandberg and D.r Anna Siverskog, Södertörn University, in collaboration with the Critical Dementia Studies Network.

This online symposium takes place on April 22nd, 2026 at 2PM-4:30PM GMT and is free of charge and open to everyone. To read more about the symposium and information on how to register, use the link below:

https://memoryfriendly.org.uk/programmes/critical-dementia-network/activities-and-events/queering-dementia-current-research-on-lgbtq-people-living-with-dementia/

04/14/2026

This talk takes place on Friday, April 17, 2026, 9am-10am PT on Zoom, and foregrounds the voices of Black grandmothers who raise their grandchildren in skipped-generation households (without parents living in the home). This is one of the many ways Black grandmothers hold families and communities together in environments that may not support their stability.

Dr. Pittman shows how their role as primary caregivers is borne out of love and struggle. She demonstrates that contemporary Black grandmothers’ experiences deviate from their historic counterparts in significant ways, including

1) their grandchildren’s circumstances have changed,

2) they confront increased demand to legalize their relationships with grandchildren, and

3) they must manage the threat of their grandchildren ending up in the child welfare system.

While based on a study in Chicago, the implications of her research will resonate with experiences of Black grandmothers throughout and beyond the U.S.

Use the link below to register:

https://trentu.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=801c3848b0ba18fd79be28eaa&id=dfb527288f&e=e559ba8adf

Dr. Pittman is an Associate Professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the Joff Hanauer Honors Professor in Western Civilization and has an appointment in the Department of Sociology. Dr. Pittman’s book Grandmothering While Black: A Twenty-First Century Story of Love, Coercion and Survival explores the complex lives of Black grandmothers raising their grandchildren in skipped-generation households (without parents living in the home).

To learn more about Dr. Pittman, use the link below:

https://trentu.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=801c3848b0ba18fd79be28eaa&id=13f5283955&e=e559ba8adf

04/08/2026

As part of their postdoc at U of Guelph, Dr. An Kosurko is bringing a research project “Improvising With Dementia” here to Peterborough and would like to share the opportunity and recruit participants.

This Friday, April 10th, a workshop is taking place at Artspace PTBO from 6-8PM with Linda Kash and local artists.

Join this creative, collaborative research project using music, art, dance, and conversation to explore how everyday creativity and Improvising with Dementia supports connection and care.

Use the link below for additional information and to register

https://www.ankosurko.ca/improvising-dementia

OR

contact Dr. Kosurko at akosurko@uoguelph.ca

04/06/2026

The CIHR Institutes of Aging and Population and Public Health, on behalf of the Federal Table on Healthy Cities, are please to invite you to an upcoming webinar: Aging in Cities: Research Findings and Policy Implications from Physical Independence to Social Connectedness.

This webinar takes place April 8th, 2026 at 1:30PM - 2:30PM ET.

You will hear from three researchers whose work highlights the importance of accessibility and inclusion in strengthening physical independence and social connectedness among older adults in urban settings. Their research speaks to how city-based programs and policies can be designed to be more responsive and equitable for diverse aging populations, contributing to healthier cities overall.

Presenters for the Federal Table panel discussion include:

Dr. Rachel Savage, Women’s College Hospital

Reimagining Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) for 21st Century Cities: What Works Best to Support Older Adults to Age in Place?

Dr. Heather McKay, University of British Columbia

Healthy Aging - Choose to Move program

Dr. Danielle Bouchard, University of New Brunswick

Musculoskeletal health, mobility or prevention: Understanding how to Attract, Adapt, IMplement and Sustain an evidence-informed fall prevention exercise program in Community Settings: The AAIMS project.

This panel is open to all, to register, please use the link below!

ab4b8035-0aed-4c24-8faf-153aacea4c5a@1ebfccd6-7d44-4806-8ffc-bb521f3acc24" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ab4b8035-0aed-4c24-8faf-153aacea4c5a@1ebfccd6-7d44-4806-8ffc-bb521f3acc24

03/25/2026

The Trent Centre for Aging & Society (TCAS) is pleased to share the release of its Fall 2025 Newsletter, featuring Dr. Julia Henderson, the Stephen Katz Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Interdisciplinary Aging Studies.

An Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Henderson’s talk, “Unscripting Age: Challenging Cultural Ageism Through Theatre and Performance,” explores how theatre and community‑engaged performance can challenge ageism, address dementia stigma, and re‑imagine cultural narratives of aging.

This issue also highlights the many contributions of TCAS members at CAG 2025, the annual conference of the Canadian Association on Gerontology, showcasing TCAS’s strong presence in national aging research and scholarship.

Use the link below to read the Fall 2025 Newsletter to learn more.

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

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.