The Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging's Aging Insights newsletter features aging-related research, education, and community initiatives that involve or may be of interest to UCalgary campus community members. | |
Creating a more equitable health system: Tools and strategies to help healthcare teams communicate with people with hearing loss
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Hearing loss is common among older adults but often overlooked in healthcare. Without proper support, it can lead to poor communication with healthcare providers, negatively impacting care. A research team led by Dr. Marcello Tonelli at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine is exploring how Alberta’s health system can better support people with hearing loss.
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Key findings from the team’s work include:
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Prevalence and risk: Analysis of provincial data shows that at least 150,000 adults in Alberta have hearing loss. It is linked to higher risks of heart attack, stroke, depression, dementia, and long-term care placement.
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Hospital-based testing: Of 372 patients tested in medical, surgical, and hemodialysis units, nearly half had hearing loss. Those with difficulty communicating reported poorer care experiences.
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Patient and community feedback: Focus groups and surveys revealed that fewer than 1 in 4 people with hearing loss described Alberta Health Services as accessible. Respondents called for better provider training, accessible communication tools (e.g., visual aids, voice amplifiers), and formal policies to document and accommodate hearing needs.
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Screening tools: The team also evaluated hearing apps and questionnaires to assess their accuracy in identifying hearing loss in busy care environments.
| This research is informing the Communication Accessible Designation, an initiative at Alberta Health Services. Facilities can earn this designation by implementing tools and training to improve communication accessibility. A pilot is underway and will expand in fall. | | Help Us Launch a GSA Student Chapter at UCalgary | | GSA Chapters are student-led groups that promote aging-related research, education, advocacy, and professional development. They offer great opportunities for networking—both on campus and across the international GSA community. | | |
Interested in joining or helping us get started?
Contact us at aging@ucalgary.ca to learn more!
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September 17, 2025
UCalgary researchers show brain shunts significantly benefit older adults with hydrocephalus
Read more
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September 10, 2025
UCalgary delivers on age-friendly university promise
Read more
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November SSHRC Connection Grant
RSO detailed review deadline:
October 20, 2025 – 4:00 PM
Learn more
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December 2025 SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grants: The Arts Transformed
RSO detailed review deadline:
November 18, 2025 – 4:00 PM
Learn more
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2025 NSERC Alliance Advantage
RSO detailed review deadline:
December 9, 2025 – 12:00 PM
Learn more
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MSI Foundation Research Grant 2026
RSO internal deadline:
October 28, 2025 – 12:00 PM
Learn more
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December 2025 SSHRC Partnership Engage Grants
RSO detailed review deadline:
December 1, 2025 – 4:00 PM
Learn more
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Catalyst Grant: Digital Health (2025)
Pre-application program deadline: December 16, 2025 – 6:00 PM
Learn more
| | Visit the UCalgary database for more research funding opportunities: | | | Age-Friendly University Project Grants Program | | |
The Centre on Aging, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Commitments, has launched the Age-Friendly University (AFU) Project Grants Program. This one-time funding opportunity offers grants of up to $40,000 to support faculty and staff in developing and implementing their own AFU initiatives.
The deadline to apply is November 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM.
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UCalgary Retirees Association Fall Speaker Series
Engineering Tomorrow: Artificial Intelligence and the Smart City Revolution
October 8, 2025 | Engineering Bldg, Block G, Room 207
One Health: What Are the Risks of Transmission of Disease from Animals to Humans?
November 19, 2025 | Engineering Bldg, Block G, Room 207
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Want to attend online?
Use the following Zoom link and passcode: 228056
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Reimagining Care Ethics in Aging Communities: A Pop-Up Performance Lecture
Date & Time: October 20, 2025 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Location: Room ENA 101, Engineering Block A, Schulich School of Engineering
Across Canada, care work is in crisis. Tragedies of unmet care needs and exhausted care workers multiply. Inequities of gender, race, class, and immigration status are playing out too. To respond to these issues, this lecture given by Dr. Janna Klostermann asks: What are the limits to women’s care? What happens when they reach their limits?
Learn more & register
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Women's Health is Public Health: Reclaiming Reproductive Health as a Public Health Imperative
Date & Time: October 29, 2025 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Red & White Club, 1833 Crowchild Trail NW
Despite accounting for over half the population, women’s reproductive health remains overlooked, underfunded, and poorly measured in Canada’s health systems. Hosted by the O'Brien Institute Sex, Gender, and Women's Health Research Hub, this event will explore how reframing reproductive health through a public health and equity lens can lead to stronger policy, more effective and responsive care, and healthier futures.
Learn more & register
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UFlourish 2025
Running from October 29 – November 14, 2025, UFlourish is a UCalgary-wide initiative to support the mental health and well-being of the campus community.
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This year, the Centre on Aging is hosting Care & Connection: Supporting Caregivers in the UCalgary Community.
Whether you are a caregiver yourself, supporting someone who is, or navigating the ripple effects of caregiving, you are not alone. Join us in-person at Foothills Campus for an interactive session co-facilitated by Caregivers Alberta.
Interested? Learn more & register
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Meet the 82-year old enrolled at U of T with her grandson
September 14, 2025
Read more
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More women get Alzheimer's than men. It may not just be because they live longer
August 10, 2025
Read more
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Early menopause linked to Alzheimer's risk, say scientists
August 8, 2025
View here
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Getting young and old people to dance together boosts health and reduces age discrimination-new research
August 6, 2025
Read more
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Age-Inclusive Language
It is important to use respectful and inclusive language when referring to older adults in order to avoid stereotypes and acknowledge their rich diversity. The Centre on Aging created an infographic with examples that highlight both problematic and preferred terms, along with explanations to support appropriate and considerate communication.
Download the infographic
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Seniors Leading Change: A Future Us Initiative
Future Us is a pan-Canadian engagement strategy, led by the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, that has been developed for people of all ages. A new toolkit was created to support individuals and organizations who want to start an Elder Abuse Prevention Network and for existing Networks that want to expand their membership, activities, and reach.
Download the toolkit
| | News to share? We would love to learn about your research, an award you received, a grant you received, or an event you are attending. Please send us your content! | | | |
The Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging is an interdisciplinary, cross-faculty hub at the University of Calgary, with a mission to foster innovations that improve the health and well-being of older adults by catalyzing connections and collaborations through research and education. Our vision is to achieve optimal health and well-being for older adults.
The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).
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