Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population

Care doesn’t start with policy — it starts with people.

In this special episode of Coming of Age, host Donna Duncan sits down with the Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, for a deeply personal conversation about leadership, responsibility, and what it means to answer the call to care.

A registered nurse, Minister, MPP, mom, wife, daughter.. and even a student… Minister Kusendova-Bashta brings all of these identities into her leadership. Drawing on her nursing experience at the bedside, she reflects on how care shapes the choices we make as leaders, as systems, and as communities.

This conversation goes beyond politics, portfolios and priorities. It’s about the leader behind the role,  and why, in long-term care, leadership is more than a job. It’s a calling.

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Pathways to becoming a nurse in Ontario and supports for entering a career in health care
• Incentives to work in long-term care for nurses and PSWs  
• Ontario’s commitment to build and redevelop 58,000 long-term care spaces 
• In August 2025, Ontario committed to make Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program permanent and expanding it to serve more communities
• Learn about the Improving Dementia Care Act that Minister Kusendova championed with MPP Laura Smith 
• Community access to long-term care pilot program
• LTC Community Engagement Day. Engagement Day is a powerful opportunity to bring people together – residents, staff, families, and community leaders – to celebrate, connect, and advocate for long-term care. Join us September 18, 2026



If you are a member of the public or a family member with questions or comments about long-term care, please contact the Ministry of Long-Term Care or call their long-term care hotline, available 7 days a week at 1-866-434-0144.

Five years ago, Coming of Age launched during a global pandemic that exposed deep fractures in how we care for older adults. 

For this milestone episode, host Donna Duncan reunites with our very first guest, award-winning journalist and author Moira Welsh to reflect on progress, persistent challenges and the future of aging in Ontario.

Moira’s new book, The Astonishing Lives of Older Women, shines a light on the gendered realities of longevity. Women live longer. They are more likely to experience financial vulnerability in later life. And too often, we fail to plan for what longer lives actually require.



So what has changed in the past five years?

Are we better prepared for aging culturally, financially and structurally?

And what would it take to shift from fearing aging to planning for it?

This conversation explores the evolving landscape of long-term care, the power and resilience of older women, and why aging well is not a private issue but a societal responsibility.

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, PointClickCare. 

Books and more by Moira Welsh: 

• The Astonishing Lives of Older Women: How to Create Pleasure Over Peril in Peak Longevity (available April 7, 2026)
• How to live to 100 (or Die Trying) a new podcast with Moira Welsh 
• The Third Act, an ongoing first-of-its kind project that partners research expertise, thought leadership and journalism the Toronto Star is producing in collaboration with the National Institute on Ageing and Toronto Metropolitan University.
• Happily Ever Older: Revolutionary Approaches to Long-Term Care 

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Data: Long-Term Care in Ontario with insights on wait times, who lives in long-term care and more
• Learn about the many ways Schlegel Villages is working to support its residents and neighbours – from sky-diving and other moments of living well. 

Ontario is home to more than 330,000 people living with dementia today, a number expected to reach one million within a generation. Behind these staggering statistics are real people navigating profound changes in cognition, communication, and identity.

This episode brings together two experts in medicine and compassionate care to illustrate how Ontario’s long‑term care sector can honour the person first, always.

• Dr. Sophiya Benjamin, Associate Professor at McMaster University and Schlegel Chair for Mental Health in Aging, and Co‑Founder of GeriMedRisk.
• Adria Thompson, speech‑language pathologist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Be Light Care - the largest dementia education platform on social media.

This is a conversation about shifting from a medical lens to a human one, and about the powerful partnership between clinical expertise and compassionate communication that supports people living with dementia every day.

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, ARJO.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Dementia Care App (coming soon), created by Adria Thompson, will provide instant access to more than 500 short, practical, easy-to-implement videos, all from the convenience of your smartphone. Whether you're a care partner at home or leading a care team, you can access fast, evidence-based support in the moments that matter.
• Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario offers programs and services to help people living with dementia, care partners and healthcare professionals get the support they need.
• Research Institute for Aging connects research to the real world and tackle the biggest issues facing an aging population, helping to change the way we age in Canada.
• McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) works to optimize the health and longevity of Canada’s aging population through leading-edge research, education and stakeholder collaboration. Explore their network of resources from the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, the Voice community engagement network for research on aging, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and more

In long-term care, the workforce is the heart of every home. When we invest in long-term care as essential economic infrastructure, we not only provide compassionate care, we also strengthen Ontario’s GDP, create recession-proof jobs and provide reliable support for our aging population.

In this episode, host Donna Duncan is speaking with two respected leaders who are unpacking all the ways in which education, employers and government can work together to create a solid foundation for our future long-term care workforce.

Guests:

• Carolyn Triemstra is the Manager, Living Classroom and Education Engagement Lead for the PREP LTC and Living Classroom programs led by the Research Institute for Aging through the Ontario CLRI.
• Daniel Tisch Echevaria is President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. He is a business, public policy, and community leader, having held executive roles in government and the corporate sector, and senior governance roles at public institutions and non-profit associations.

The realities of the human resources healthcare crisis are urgent, but not unbeatable. There are simple, actionable steps that can be taken today to stabilize our current workforce and prevent the crisis from deepening in the future.

This episode was generously sponsored by StaffStat.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Preceptor Resource and Education Program in Long-Term Care (PREP LTC)

Supports Ontario long-term care homes with funding, online education, and tools to strengthen student mentorship, clinical placements, and building workforce capacity.

Primary care is often called the heartbeat of healthcare, and in Ontario’s rural and northern communities, it’s a lifeline. As more than half of long-term care spaces await redevelopment, local care teams are stepping up with new ideas and strong collaboration to help older adults age with dignity and connection.

In this episode, host Donna Duncan speaks with 3 inspiring women who are reshaping seniors’ care from the ground up:

Dr. Tara Kiran, a family doctor, leading primary-care researcher at Unity Health and the University of Toronto. Tara led the OurCare survey that helped shape Ontario’s new Primary Care Act and hosts Primary Focus. 

Michèle Lajeunesse, Executive Director of the Marathon Family Health Team in Marathon, Ontario—about an eleven-and-a-half-hour drive north of Toronto. She’s seeing firsthand how team-based care is helping older adults stay well and supported in their communities. 

Jennifer Burns West, interim CEO of Haliburton Highlands Health Services and board member of the Senior Care Network. Jennifer is reimagining rural healthcare through integrated services and global innovations like green care farms.

Together, they share insights, wisdom, test new care models, and build a more responsive primary care system strengthening seniors’ care across Ontario - including in long-term care homes, where collaboration is helping residents live well every day.



This episode was generously sponsored by our sector champion, PointClickCare.

Resources:

Seniors Care Network is responsible for the organization, coordination and governance of specialized geriatric services (SGS) in the Central East Region of Ontario Health East.

Learn more about OurCare Standard: a new way to assess primary care performance across Canada. 

Click here to listen to Dr. Tara Kiran’s new podcast, Primary Focus

Mentioned in this episode: Marathon Family Health Team and Haliburton Highlands Health Services

Canada’s service members are individuals who have served our country with courage and commitment - yet as they age, many find themselves navigating a fragmented care system that doesn’t fully reflect the values they upheld in uniform.  

This episode of Coming of Age brings together experts from Medicine and Military to discuss what it means to truly care for the veterans of today - and tomorrow.



Joining host Donna Duncan for this conversation are: 

• Major (Ret’d) Paul Hook, Managing Director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research
• Professor David Pedlar, Senior Scientist at the University of Ottawa Institute for Mental Health Research at The Royal
• Dr. Samir Sinha, Geriatrician, Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Ageing and a leading voice in the provision of geriatric and long-term care

Together, they explore the evolving identity of Canadian veterans - from World War II to Afghanistan - and the urgent need to modernize how we define service, deliver care, and uphold our social contract. 

Referenced in this episode: “Coming of Age and Its Related Complexities Among Canada’s Veterans” – a report by the National Institute on Ageing, lead author Dr. Madison Brydges

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, Arjo.

Veterans Affairs Canada

The Royal Canadian Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. Click here to find your local branch.

Veterans Wellness Alliance Ontario is driven by the mission to enhance the quality of life for veterans through comprehensive wellness services and advocacy.

The Veterans Transition Network delivers mental health services specifically for Veterans from coast to coast.

True Patriot Love is Canada’s foundation for the military community, supporting Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans, and their families through grants, research, and advocacy to improve well-being, inspire recovery, strengthen families, and foster community connection.

Wounded Warriors Canada specializes in providing culturally informed services that utilize a combination of education, counselling, and training approaches to support resiliency and recovery from post-trauma injuries.

The Veteran Farm Project gives all Veterans the experience of nature through horticulture programs. The incredible by-product of the staff and volunteers' hard work is all the fresh produce grown.

Supporting complex care needs in our long-term care homes is becoming increasingly difficult at times, but it is not impossible. In this conversation, we’re learning how clinical expertise is merging with the mastery of caregiving to create a fast track to a future where complex continuing care is not only comprehensive but truly optimal.



• Andrea Thompson is Vice President of Long Term Care, Community and Hospice at Kensington Health in Toronto. Her career has taken her through a wide range of health care settings including long-term care, acute care, rehabilitation, complex continuing care, and community-based services.  

• Lucia Rocha is President of the Family Council at the Gardens at Kensington Health. As a former caregiver, she knows first-hand what it’s like to support a loved one as their care needs change over time. 

People moving into long-term care are currently living with nearly six different health conditions on average. 87% of them need support with activities of daily living like getting dressed, taking a shower and eating.

With an increasingly diverse population, as well as varying cultural, linguistic and spiritual needs, long term care homes are moving away from cookie-cutter approaches and turning toward what appears to be the key to providing the best complex continuing care – customization.

Resources:

Learn more about the growing number of services being at Kensington Health

SCOPE (Seamless Care Optimizing the Patient Experience) is a virtual, inter-professional care team that connects primary care providers to specialists, hospitals, community care and mental health resources in real-time.

Making the Move to Long-Term Care? Family Councils Ontario has a guide from those who’ve gone through the transition

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, StaffStat.

When we imagine a better future for aging and care, we must begin with those who live it firsthand.  

In this episode, Donna Duncan speaks with two caregivers who share their own experiences of moving loved ones into long term care. 

• Laura Vita became a young caregiver for her father. Now a registered nurse, she brings a powerful mix of personal and professional perspective to this conversation. 
• Christa Haanstra is a national leader in caregiver advocacy — and a caregiver to her father, who lives with front temporal dementia. She’s also the founder of 4C Strategy, where she helps health and community leaders center caregiver voices in care system design. 

While the move to long term care if often perceived as difficult and disconnected, Laura and Christa say it doesn’t have to be. In this conversation, you’ll hear not only about the challenges they faced, but also the relief they felt when they realized their loved ones would be safe and supported in their new homes. If community leads to continuity then caregivers are the ones who show us how best to balance policies and practises with peace of mind for families. 

Resources:

• New to caregiving or looking for peer support? Helpful resources available from the Ontario Caregiver Organization
• Need to coordinate home care or apply to long-term care? Visit Ontario Health atHome 
• Making the Move to Long-Term Care? Family Councils Ontario has a guide from those who’ve gone through the transition
• Worried about significant changes in behaviour in someone you care for? Reach out to Behavioural Supports Ontario
• What’s the vision for a dementia-friendly Ontario? Learn about the Ontario Dementia Care Alliance

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, Plan A.

With over 160,000 downloads and growing national reach, this season brings a bold new focus: Rethinking Aging, Reimagining Public Care.



In a time of rising demand and urgent need, we’re challenging old assumptions about long-term care, ageism, and what it means to grow older in Canada. Through honest conversations, powerful stories, and expert insights, we explore how to build a system that truly supports aging with dignity and aging in place. 

This season, you’ll hear from caregivers, community leaders, global innovators and people most affected by how care is delivered. 

Eight thought-provoking episodes. Global perspectives. Real conversations and solutions.

Join us this October, new episodes drop bi-weekly. Follow Coming of Age wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube.

How do we build a thriving workforce to meet the growing demands of seniors’ care?

With aging populations on the rise, the need for creative solutions in workforce development has never been more urgent. Enter the Living Classroom – a program that integrates education directly into long-term care. This innovative approach is training the next generation of caregivers and health care providers while enriching the lives of residents and care teams through collaboration and shared learning.

Listen as Donna Duncan sits down with three guests who bring the Living Classroom to life:



• Warda Abbas, a Personal Support Worker at the Village of Tansley Woods in Burlington, Ontario, Canada and a recent graduate of the Living Classroom at Mohawk College and Schlegel Villages.
• Christine Bruder, People Opportunities Partner at Schlegel Villages.
• Jennifer Hartwick, Director of Business Development at Schlegel Villages.

Resources:

• Learn about The Living Classroom and get involved
• Listen to the Elder Wisdom: Stories from the Green Bench podcast honouring the wisdom of the elder, ending ageism
• Learn about the work and supports offered by the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI-LTC)
• The Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA) is a charitable, non-profit organization that enhances the quality of life and care for older adults through research, education, and practice. 

This episode was generously sponsored by our Sector Champion, Plan A.