Partnering for a better tomorrow: Centring the voices of older adults within health research and policy

At the Collaborative, we are focused on ensuring that older adults are the nexus of research being conducted to improve the health system. As illustrated in the Collaborative’s organizational structure, the voices of older adults and caregivers are at the centre of all that we do. 

Since January 2022, our group of older adult partners has expanded from four to nine members. Each member brings a unique perspective of the health system. This group meets about once a month and partners are invited to participate in research activities that are of interest and important to them. 

On March 13, 2023, the Ontario SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) SUPPORT Unit’s (OSSU) invited the Collaborative to host a policy roundtable on ‘aging in the community’ that focused on advancing health and patient-centred care for older adults. Over 50 people were in attendance, including researchers, clinicians, policy-makers, and community members. Different issues were discussed, including recognizing the intersectionality of aging populations and leveraging existing datasets to inform and transform aging and health-related policy and research.  

“In order for our society to support us to age as WE want, our healthcare system must re-think how its services are delivered. The system must recognize that the users of healthcare are people first, patients second.” — Penelope Petrie, Collaborative older adult partner 

Researchers from the Collaborative shared examples that showcased their partnership with older adults and caregivers, including a community-based integrated care intervention co-designed to improve mobility, physical and mental health and foster community connections; an integrated care intervention to support transitions in care for older adults with stroke and multimorbidity; and a palliative approach to care to support the needs of people living with life-limiting illnesses, from diagnosis to end-of-life. 

“That relationship and trust building comes from genuine and meaningful communications involving older adults as equal partners in framing the conversations in all aspects of research and planning. Older adults bring lifetimes of lived experience to the table.” — Michael Kirk, Collaborative older adult partner 

Key themes that emerged from this discussion included: 

1. Conceptualizing health care for older adults using a holistic framework;   
2. Access to home and community care, including the importance of approaches that promote healthy aging;  
3. Transitions in care for older adults living with complexities; 
4. Envisioning a new future (encourage thinking “outside of the box”) 

Three of the Collaborative older adult partners were key presenters at this important event and shared their vision for aging and the health system based on their lived experience. Penelope Petrie, Michael Kirk and Subhash Dighe spoke about their diverse experiences and the importance of listening to all voices and considering the needs of the whole person – social, cultural, and physical – in aging and health research and policy. As summarized by Subhash in his closing remarks, our Canadian population is progressively becoming multi-racial, multilingual, and multi-ethnic with practices of diverse cultural and religious customs and traditions.  

“We need to make sure that our systems are equitable. That means we must build in “fairness” in our healthcare plans.” — Subhash Dighe, Collaborative older adult partner 

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this policy roundtable. We continue to reflect on strategies that can strengthen the engagement of older adults and others within health research and system innovation as the Collaborative moves forward.  

OSSU is a network of 14 leading health research centres and eight research initiatives, supported by a coordinating centre located in Toronto, ON, that engages researchers, patients and other partners in patient-oriented research to improve the health of Ontarians and the health care system. 

Jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Ontario and partner Ontario hospital foundations and institutes, OSSU provides supports such as expertise, infrastructure, training and resources to people conducting patient-oriented research to help implement Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research in Ontario. OSSU also funds projects that demonstrate the value of patient-oriented research and how it can leverage OSSU supports to achieve greater impacts.