The 2025 Summit will be hosted both in-person and online! In-person sessions will be live-streamed to the virtual audience with unique engagement and collaboration opportunities for both audiences.
We are pleased to share this draft agenda for the 2025 Healthy Aging Alberta Summit. Please note that session times, speakers, and program details are subject to change. A finalized agenda will be published soon.
A partial day of In-person and Virtual programming.
Please check in at the registration desk when you arrive.
In-person only.
Join us for coffee and informal networking before the opening session.
In-person only.
An official welcome to set the tone for the summit, introduce key themes, and acknowledge the contributions of all partners and communities represented.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
Connect with fellow attendees over refreshments as we celebrate the beginning of the summit.
In-person only.
Registration Check-in and Breakfast.
In-person only.
A warm welcome and orientation to the day’s programming.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
A full day of In-person and Virtual programming.
Dr. Olive Bryanton, a passionate advocate for aging well, will reflect on her doctoral research, Pioneers in Aging: Voices of Women 85 Years and Older Aging in Place in Rural Communities. Olive will also speak about her instrumental role in founding the first multi-purpose Seniors Centre and Seniors College on Prince Edward Island. Her commitment to lifelong learning and strengthening communities will inspire all those committed to aging well.
In-person and Virtual broadcast
Dr. Olive Bryanton
Advocate
This session invites participants to learn about Indigenous experiences and ways of knowing and being, guided by the voices of Elders and knowledge keepers. Through shared stories and reflections, we will broaden our understanding of connection, community, and the diverse realities faced by Indigenous Peoples today. Participants will engage in an interactive experience designed to deepen appreciation for Indigenous perspectives and lived experiences.
In-person and Virtual broadcast
Networking time in-person and online
Stream: Innovation
Edmonton Public Library’s Together We Grow brings classic children’s songs, interactive rhymes, and stories into retirement residences in a program that helps children aged 0-3 develop early literacy skills while fostering meaningful connections and greater understanding among older adults, young children, and parents.
Using Together We Grow as an example, this session will inspire and prepare participants to create a similar program in their own community and will include ideas for adapting an existing early literacy program, strategies to facilitate meaningful interactions between seniors and young children, equipment requirements, and suggestions for building strong community partnerships to collaborate on program delivery.
Elaine Jones
Edmonton Public Library
Ben Ehlers
Edmonton Public Library
Stream: Futurism
Rural Alberta has long relied on innovative, community-driven approaches to address healthcare workforce challenges. This session will explore how "grow your own" strategies—designed to attract, train, and retain rural healthcare providers may be adapted to support workforce development in Senior Services. Learn how early engagement, mentorship, local training pathways, and community partnerships can help build a sustainable, homegrown workforce to meet the evolving needs of seniors in Alberta.
Tracey Sopkow
Rural Heathcare Providers Action Plan
Stream: Integration
As social prescribing gains traction across Canada, it's more important than ever to align efforts and build cohesive systems that center community and well-being. In this session, we’ll explore how a coordinated approach—across healthcare, social services, and community-based organizations—can amplify the impact of social prescribing initiatives. Using Alberta’s model as a case study, we’ll highlight the role of Healthy Aging Alberta as a backbone organization, fostering province-wide alignment, shared learning, and strategic partnerships.
Participants will gain insights into:
- The tangible benefits of collaboration in social prescribing.
- How coordinated networks can scale impact and sustainability.
- The value of Healthy Aging Alberta’s leadership in driving innovation and equity for older adults.
Whether you’re leading a program, supporting clients, or shaping policy, this session offers practical takeaways on how collective action and shared infrastructure can create a stronger, more connected system of support for aging well in community.
Beth Mansell
Healthy Aging Alberta
Stream: Futurism
Ready to learn more about how communities got innovative housing solutions off the ground? Mainstage panel members will be joined by even more organizations doing remarkable things in housing. Here is your opportunity to sit down with folks who have done the work! Participants will have approx. 18 minutes to interact with three different organizations of their choosing.
Kathy McGrenera
Cohousing
Kristen Chambers
Evergreen Foundation
Kerri Cardinal
NiGiNan Housing Ventures
Jen Recknagel
NORC Innovation Centre
Paul Vanden Broek
Eventide Housing
Renate Sailsbury
Pioneer Court
Shantel Ottenbrite
Medicine Hat NORC
Laverne Noble
Medicine Hat NORC
Stream: Leadership
This session will introduce you to the Natural Supports Practice Framework including new updates for 2025. We will create a shared understanding of why a natural supports approach is important and define the foundational constructs and core principles. We will share the unique opportunities the Natural Supports Framework can provide when supporting older adults.
Diana Wark
Centre for Sexuality
Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from a series of engaging sessions aligned with four key theme areas: Leadership, Sector-Wide Future Planning, Innovative Programming, and Service Delivery Integration.
Breakout topics will explore a diverse range of strategies and innovations shaping healthy aging in Alberta.
A full list and descriptions of breakout sessions will be announced in June.
Sessions will be offered both in person and via virtual broadcast.
Stream: Leadership
Don't have enough funding? How do you make sure your Seniors Centre is sustainable and a going concern in your community. What is the role of Seniors' Centres and Senior Drop-in's in aging well in the community: This workshop will look at why senior gathering places are important in the tapestry of aging well in the community. What are some of the synergies that can be created between the gathering places and the community based senior services and ways to look at sustainability.
Larry Mathieson
President & CEO - Unison at Kerby Centre
Monica Morrison
Former Executive Director - Golden Circle Senior Resource Centre
Stream: Innovation
Leaders from across Alberta’s community-based seniors-serving sector share their experiences in delivering transportation and non-medical support services. Panelists will discuss the successes, partnerships, and innovative financial models that make these services work across Alberta.
Haidong Liang
Westend Seniors Activity Centre
Kari Cameron
Camrose & District FCSS
Dawn Mitchell
Moving Edson & Area
Doray Veno
Lynks Harvest Sky Services & Supports
Stream: Leadership
CBSS organizations operate in diverse and dynamic environments where the ability to measure and articulate impact is critical. By fostering a collaborative space for sharing and learning, this session will strengthen the collective capacity of the CBSS sector, driving innovation and resilience. Participants from CBSS organizations will explore how evaluation can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and meaningful impact.
Together, we will:
- Highlight the intrinsic value of evaluation in achieving organizational goals.
- Share common challenges faced by CBSS organizations in integrating evaluation practices using learnings and examples from our 54 funded partners.
- Exchange innovative ideas and solutions to foster a culture of continuous improvement.
This session will provide practical tools and real-world examples in the CBSS sector, ensuring participants leave with actionable insights tailored to their unique context.
Sandeep Lotay
Healthy Aging Alberta & Melissa Beck - United Way of Calgary and Area
Stream: Integration
The Indigenous Liaisons representing the northern and southern communities throughout Alberta will share strategies and best practices being used to enhance relationships and build trust when dealing with elder abuse within Indigenous communities.
Through their work and their experiences, it allows them to be more aware of the unique differences and needs within each community. They recognize and honour protocols and respect cultural traditions. This session will allow participants to be engaged, ask questions and have the opportunity to challenge their own bias and assumptions when working with older adults and their families who may be experiencing mistreatment, abuse and/or in unhealthy relationships.
Elizabeth Ly
Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council
Myrtle Bealieu
Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council
April Tucker
Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council
Stream: Futurism
Family caregivers deliver up to 90% of Alberta’s community-based care, yet remain largely invisible in policy and practice. This interactive session will weave together Canada’s emerging National Caregiving Strategy and Alberta’s co-designed Caregiver Strategy & Action Plan to show how both can reposition caregivers as essential partners in healthy aging.
Nationally, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence is advancing five pillars—equitable supports, flexible workplaces, financial relief, recipient support, and policy integration. Provincially, Alberta’s plan mirrors that momentum with five priorities: recognition, partnership, needs assessment, seamless navigation, and supports for working caregivers.
Participants will hear real-world examples, share their own innovations, and cocreate practical next steps to embed caregiver-centred approaches across health, social, and community systems. Whether you lead programs, craft policy, or deliver frontline care, you will leave with insights, tools, and collaborative contacts to ensure caregivers are not merely acknowledged but empowered to help Albertans and their caregivers age well at home.
Liv Mendelsohn
Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence
Sharon Anderson
University of Alberta
Darrel Gregory
Caregivers Alberta
Networking time in-person and online.
Join the AAG as they share learnings from a province-wide case study featuring communities that exemplify integrated, community-focused services. Learn about promising practices and approaches to building robust local ecosystems that support individual well-being and community-led decision-making. Participants will also have a chance to speak directly with these communities during a follow-up breakout session on Wednesday.
In-person and virtual Broadcast
- Dinner – 6:00–7:00 PM
- Keynote (TBA!) – 6:30–7:30 PM
- Awards Ceremony – 7:40–9:00 PM
Celebrate the individuals and organizations driving innovation and impact in healthy aging across Alberta.
Keynote and awards will have in-person and virtual broadcast.
In-person only.
A warm welcome and orientation to the day’s programming.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
A full day of In-person and Virtual programming.
Dr. Samir Sinha, a leading expert in geriatrics and policy innovation, will discuss systems change in healthy aging, with a focus on Alberta’s collaborative approach as a potential model. The session will explore community-based care and non-medical supports to promote healthy aging and reduce pressure on the healthcare system, drawing from promising global models. Additionally, it will address strategic investment shifts toward preventative, community-based solutions to support Alberta’s growing senior population.
In-person and Virtual broadcast
Networking time in-person and online.
This expert panel will explore how communities are creating inclusive, connected housing for older adults. From naturally occurring retirement communities to Indigenous-led initiatives and co-housing models, learn how these efforts were developed and what others can take away from their successes.
A follow-up breakout session in the afternoon will allow for deeper conversations with panellists. In-person and Virtual broadcast.
Dr. Kate Mulligan will share insights on how to communicate the impact of community-based work using a shared language of well-being. She will explore how individual and collective care are intertwined, and how strong communities foster both resilience and equity.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
Dr. Kate Mulligan
Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing
Networking time in-person and online
Stream: Innovation
Stay tuned for details!
Shelly Saboe
Bosco Foundation & TBC
Stream: Innovation
This session will introduce the new Safe Spaces initiative and explore how older adults' experiences from rural and Indigenous communities—have positively influenced their lives. Safe Spaces offer flexible and community-based support for older adults experiencing harm. We will also look at how the integration of mediation practices within Safe Spaces initiatives to support older adults transitioning from abusive environments. Attendees will gain insights into mediation strategies that foster trust, empower older adults, and facilitate collaborative resolutions between the older adult and the person causing harm.
Lilian Omorefe
Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council
Jennifer Wells
Alberta Elder Abuse Awareness Council
Stream: Integration
Here is your chance to engage with the communities who were involved in the Ecosystems project that were featured on the mainstage during Tuesday's program. Participants will have approx. 18 minutes to sit down with three different communities of their choosing to learn more about how successful collaborations were created.
Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from a series of engaging sessions aligned with four key theme areas: Leadership, Sector-Wide Future Planning, Innovative Programming, and Service Delivery Integration.
Breakout topics will explore a diverse range of strategies and innovations shaping healthy aging in Alberta.
A full list and descriptions of breakout sessions will be announced in June.
Sessions will be offered both in person and via virtual broadcast.
Stream: Integration
This panel will provide real life descriptions of how their rural communities have built a web of support which encompasses identifying cognitive frailty and dementia, accessing services, and building an inclusive community. By building trusting relationships across health, social and community partners, effective collaboration has resulted in those living with dementia and caregivers continuing to contribute to and be supported by their local community.
Wendy Evans
Innisfail CPIA
Sharon Cornelius
Westview PCN
Treena Trustham
Westview PCN
Helen Lightfoot
Connecting People and Community for Living Well
Stream: Integration
How do we engage ethnocultural communities in conversations about a deeply sensitive and often stigmatized issue, such as the mistreatment of older adults? This session shares the process and approach behind Older Adult Mistreatment From An Ethnocultural Lens: Empowering, Safety, Dignity, and Well-Being, a community-informed project that prioritizes relationship-building, cultural humility, and strength-based dialogue. Through stories, reflections, and practical strategies, the presentation explores:
- How trust was built with diverse stakeholders and communities.
- Why language, cultural norms, and lived experiences matter in defining and identifying mistreatment.
- What engagement methods were used to gather input while promoting safety and dignity.
Key learnings include inclusion, cultural safety, and empowerment in research and programming.
Attendees will leave with insights on culturally responsive engagement, real-world considerations when working across ethnically diverse backgrounds, and how to foster more inclusive and community-led responses to older adult mistreatment.
Dr. Rose Joudi
Carya
Stream: Innovation
Sickness, aging, death and grief will affect us all – so how do we prepare people and support open dialogue around these topics?
This presentation will provide introductions to the topics of advance care planning and palliative care. Advance care planning includes thinking about, talking about, and documenting the health and personal care you want now and in the future. Palliative care is an extra layer of support to relieve the symptoms and stress of living with a serious illness.
The Covenant Health Palliative Institute has developed five health literacy tools that will be showcased in this presentation. Attendees will hear practical examples of how Alberta organizations are using these resources to help community members support each other through aging, illness, caregiving, and loss.
Mary-Ann Shantz
Covenant Health Palliative Institute
This session will introduce the emerging Community-Based Seniors Serving (CBSS) Service Delivery Model, developed through a collaborative design sprint with provincial sector leaders. The model is designed to strengthen coordination, integration, and access to non-medical supports that enable older adults to age well in community.
Grounded in core values like older adult-centered design, community-developed solutions, and equity and inclusion, the model includes key components such as service groupings (non-medical services, navigation and supported referral, and community development), integrated funding flows, pathways for system integration with health and housing, and a shared measurement framework.
Participants will explore the model as a flexible framework—not a one-size-fits-all approach—that reflects Alberta’s diverse communities and emphasizes local autonomy. This session will also share progress made since the December 2024 sprint, including next steps such as community consultations through regional gatherings, an engagement strategy, and the development of an implementation roadmap to align with funders, policymakers, and government.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
In-person only.
A partial day of In-person and Virtual programming.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
De’Amon Harges, known as the “Original Roving Listener,” will explore how communities can build inclusion and belonging by shifting from needs-based approaches to asset-based community development. Through “radical listening” and uncovering local strengths, he will share practical ways to transform relationships, spaces, and systems by focusing on what already exists within communities.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
De’Amon Harges
The Learning Tree
Building upon his talk De’Amon Harges will lead a workshop that will give us practical ways to apply the knowledge from his talk and draw out the latent strengths in our communities.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
With the rules of geopolitics being rewritten, Canada’s economy is in unfamiliar and unpleasant territory. Traditional pillars of the economy that were so reliable in the past have shifted under our feet. Calm, clear and complacent approaches to the economy have been replaced with chaos,
In times like these, COMMUNITY becomes more important than ever.
This presentation will approach the idea of COMMUNITY and AGING from an economic perspective:
- What are the drivers of disruption in Alberta’s economy in 2025 and ‘26?
- How has disruption affected individuals and communities?
- What is at the HEART of the economy? And how can we strengthen that?
The talk will draw heavily on story and metaphor, and will include a series of strategic tools that we can use to navigate the uncertainty. The main conclusion is that at the CENTRE of all economic activity is HUMAN CONNECTION. And that by strengthening community and drawing on the experience and skills of our aging population, our economy becomes more resilient.
Todd Hirsch
Session to be announced.
In-person and Virtual broadcast
Join us as we conclude the Summit with final reflections, words of gratitude, and a collective sense of possibility for the path ahead.
In-person and Virtual broadcast.
The Ceremony Room is a space dedicated to quiet reflection, respect, and intentional pause throughout the Summit. Open to all participants, it offers a place to ground oneself, honour lived and ancestral experiences and reconnect with purpose. Whether used for individual moments of reflection, collective ceremonies, or cultural acknowledgments, the space encourages presence and mindfulness. The Ceremony Room acknowledges that our work in healthy aging is deeply rooted in relationships—with ourselves, with each other, and with the land—and it creates a space where these connections can be felt, honoured, and renewed.
Accessible to all participants throughout the Summit.
In-person only.
Step inside the Men’s Sheds Experience—an immersive and interactive exhibit designed to replicate the feeling of walking into a real Shed. Men’s Sheds are grassroots, peer-led spaces where men come together to build, create, and connect over shared interests in a safe, informal setting. This experience will give attendees a hands-on understanding of how a Shed functions, the activities that happen within it, and why it plays such a vital role in promoting mental health, social connection, and purpose for men in later life. Expect to engage with tools, stories, and conversations that bring the spirit of a Shed to life.
Drop in during the Summit to experience what it’s like to visit a Shed.
In-person only.
Healthy Aging Alberta is proud to feature a dedicated Poster Presentation Session that brings research and real-world practice together. This space will showcase both academic studies and community-led initiatives that are advancing healthy aging across Alberta. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with researchers, program leads, and practitioners, ask questions, and exchange ideas. The session is designed to foster learning and connection between sectors and to spark future collaborations between academic institutions and community-based organizations. From pilot projects to province-wide evaluations, the posters reflect the diversity, innovation, and impact of Alberta’s healthy aging movement.
Available for viewing throughout the Summit.
In-person and Virtual set-up.
We will have three special experiences that will be running the duration of the event Oct 7 - Oct 9