Designing new futures: Co-creating housing and support pathways for “aging in community” to reduce premature long-term care intake

2021 Catalyst Grant

Ontario’s long-term care (LTC) system is overburdened and not an appropriate home for those with minimal care needs. This project seeks to co-design the system, housing and supports needed to create a publicly funded “middle ground” which may be the answer between completely independent living and LTC. To this end, the project will work with diverse older adults to understand how and where they would like to live and to understand the current gaps. To identify areas of greatest need, a spatial analysis will be conducted to identify the geographic patterns of where older adults currently reside, car-dependent areas, low-income households and affordable housing. Based on these findings a system will be co-designed that meets older adults’ needs and aspirations in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and will be scaled to other regions in the future through additional external funding opportunities.

“The research will benefit structurally vulnerable older adults lacking affordable housing and supports and moderate to middle income older adults residing in car-dependent suburban environments, where the built form is not designed to support mobility in aging and provides challenging landscapes for delivering supports. We will unearth the disparity between how and where older adults are aging and what their self-identified optimal pathways would be. We will co-design the system, housing and supports needed to meet their needs. Results will be presented in accessible formats for older adults and will potentially empower them in articulating their own needs and desires.” — Jim Dunn & Michelle Wyndham-West

Our Research

MIRA and Labarge funding has supported many bold research projects to optimize the health and longevity of older adults.

our research