Stronger Together: Supporting Social Health in Aging

Dr. Celeste Pang joins host, Peter Snow, to discuss the intersection of 2SLGBTQIA+ older adults and social isolation and loneliness.

Dr. Celeste Pang is an Assistant Professor in Women’s and Gender Studies at Mount Royal University (Calgary, Alberta). Trained as a sociocultural anthropologist, Celeste's research and teaching engages closely with critical disability studies, critical gerontology, and queer and trans studies to examine social issues related to aging, disability, and care access and equity. Much of Celeste's work focuses on 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including past work focused on long-term care and home care and current projects focused on shared housing and on experiences of poverty.

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Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Dr. Harry Taylor joins host Peter Snow to discuss the complex intersection of race, immigration and social isolation and loneliness.

Harry Taylor joined FIFSW as an assistant professor in 2021. His research addresses the prevalence, risk factors, and associative health outcomes of social isolation and loneliness among older adult Black Americans.

His research increases public awareness of these factors and is poised to inform risk assessments, intervention programs, and policies to mitigate the adverse health effects of isolation and loneliness. Dr. Taylor primarily utilizes quantitative techniques to analyze nationally representative panel data.

Dr. Taylor earned his PhD at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, his MSW at the School of Social Work and MPH at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, and his BA in Sociology at Howard University. He has received extramural funding for his research from the National Institute of Aging, and his research has been published in peer-reviewed outlets including The Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, The Journal of Aging and Health, The Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and The Journal of Gerontological Social Work. His work has also been featured in Public Health Post, Aging Today, and US News and World Reports.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Dr Paul Mick joins host Peter Snow to discuss the relationship between hearing loss and social isolation and loneliness.

Dr. Mick is a pediatric and adult neurotologist (i.e., a sub-specialist ear, nose and throat surgeon) who treats diseases of the ear and skull base. He is a surgeon in the B.C. provincial cochlear implant program whose practice is based at St. Paul’s Hospital and B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Sue Vovchuk joins host Peter Snow to discuss addressing social isolation and loneliness in long term care.

Sue has dedicated more than 30 years of her career to working with older adults across Manitoba, serving in both frontline and leadership positions. Her experience spans the continuum of housing, services and care, including Manitoba Housing, Home Care, Supportive Housing, Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living.

Throughout her career, Sue has developed an in-depth understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing older adults in Manitoba, their families, service providers and communities. She has built strong relationships with all levels of government, Manitoba’s health authorities and organizations across the older adult housing and continuing care sectors.

As Executive Director of the Long Term & Continuing Care Association of Manitoba (LTCAM), Sue is passionate about building partnerships and advancing innovative approaches that enhance housing, services, supports and care for older adults in Manitoba. She is committed to ensuring that older adults have meaningful choices and opportunities to remain connected to their communities as they age.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Dr. Grace Park joins host, Peter Snow, to discuss the bidirectional relationship of frailty and social isolation and loneliness.

Dr. Grace Park is a family physician in White Rock BC where she provided full-service family medicine for over 30 years. She is also a clinical assistant professor in the faculty of medicine, department of Family Practice at University of British Columbia.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Nick Ubels, Assistant Manager, Community Development at Vancouver Public Library, joins host Peter Snow to discuss the important role of libraries in addressing social isolation and loneliness with older adults.

Nick Ubels is a librarian, knowledge broker, and community builder. He is currently the Assistant Manager, Community Inclusion at Vancouver Public Library, where his work involves developing relationships of trust with equity-denied community members and allied organizations in order to increase the relevance and impact of library services.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Dr. Linda Garcia joins host Peter Snow to discuss aphasia and communication disorders in older adults, and the role they can play in social isolation and loneliness.

Linda Garcia, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Ottawa and a long-standing leader in aging, communication, and quality of life research. A former speech-language pathologist and academic leader, she founded the uOttawa LIFE Research Institute and has spent decades advancing interdisciplinary approaches to aging, dementia, social connection, and inclusive communities. Dr. Garcia currently serves as President of the Fondation Miroir Foundation, a Canadian registered charity dedicated to reducing loneliness and enhancing the quality of life of older adults through joy, connection, and meaningful engagement. Through her leadership, the Foundation supports innovative initiatives that foster social connection and community inclusion for older persons across Canada.

Her work focuses on aging, loneliness, communication, intergenerational connection, and the translation of research and innovative ideas into meaningful community impact.

Learn more about the Fondation Miroir Foundation

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.

Dr. David Conn joins host Peter Snow to discuss the relationship between anxiety, dementia, depression and social isolation and loneliness.

Dr. David Conn is a Geriatric Psychiatrist at Baycrest and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. David is founding Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health and Past President of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry. His academic interests include nursing home psychiatry, telepsychiatry, guideline development and knowledge translation. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications and is the co-editor of three textbooks including "Practical Psychiatry in the Long-Term Care Home: A Handbook for Staff”. Dr. Conn led the development of the first ever Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, and also led the 2021 Update of the Canadian Guidelines on Prevention, Assessment and Treatment of Depression Among Older Adults. He has received numerous awards including the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Outstanding Contributions to Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada and a Distinguished Service Award from the International Psychogeriatric Association.

For more tips, tools, and resources visit our website.

Read the 2024 Canadian Clinical Guidelines on Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults.

For over 20 years, The Canadian Coalition for Seniors' Mental Health (CCSMH), a program of the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry ( CAGP), has been researching, writing and mobilizing clinical guidelines on a diversity of topics related to mental health and ageing. To learn more visit our website.