National Seniors Strategy
In 2013, Sinai Health System researchers were awarded a prestigious Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) grant to research and inform the development of an evidence-based National Seniors Strategy. Their comprehensive, national and evidence-informed plan identifies and addresses the most pressing needs of Canada’s ageing population under four overarching pillars:
Spearheaded by Dr. Samir Sinha, the evidence-based National Seniors Strategy garnered a lot of attention from politicians, think tanks, media organizations and advocates ahead of the 2015 federal election and has become a useful resource that is now helping guide the current government towards making more evidence-informed policy decisions to better address the issues facing older Canadians and help Canada to become the best country to grow up and to grow old in.
The newly established National Institute on Ageing (NIA) now serves as the academic home for the National Seniors Strategy which aims to remain an evolving evidence-based policy document that can be useful for generations to come.
To learn more about the National Seniors Strategy, visit www.nationalseniorsstrategy.ca or contact Michael Nicin, NIA Executive Director, by email at michael.nicin@ryerson.ca.
Ontario Seniors Strategy
In 2011, the government of Ontario decided to pursue a new direction and make the province the best place to grow up and grow old in North America. Supporting the government’s efforts, Dr. Samir Sinha was chosen to lead the development of the Ontario Seniors Strategy and delivered his report Living Longer, Living Well. Dr. Sinha’s report presented evidence-informed policy options to the government, including strengthening home and community care, supporting caregivers, and promoting the immunization of older adults against such illnesses as shingles. Since Dr. Sinha submitted his report in 2012, Ontario has implemented many of his recommendations, and has used his report as the basis of the Ontario Seniors Strategy.
Read Dr. Samir Sinha’s report Living Longer, Living Well (PDF) here.
For more information on the Ontario Seniors Strategy, contact Ann Schraeger at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care at ann.schraeger@ontario.ca.
Toronto Seniors Strategy
In 2013, the City of Toronto invited Dr. Samir Sinha to develop its first Seniors Strategy, which subsequently led the city to be given the World Health Organization’s (WHO) designation as an age-friendly city in 2016. The strategy was developed following the WHO’s framework for age-friendly cities, and was designed to emphasize equity, respect, inclusion and quality of life to inform its services and initiatives.
To read the Toronto Seniors Strategy, click here.
For more information on the Toronto Seniors Strategy, contact Andrea Austen, Manager of the Seniors Transition Office at the City of Toronto, at aausten@toronto.ca.
Date modified: 2019-05-16