The AFU Showcase is open to the university community and the public, where you are invited to connect with units from across the university and learn more about their offerings. Registration is not required to attend the AFU Showcase, which will take place in conjunction with the Centre on Aging’s 42nd Annual Spring Research Symposium, which will be held on the same day and location.

Why attend the AFU Showcase?

The AFU Showcase is a way for both the UM community and public to connect with one another. Using the AFU principles for inspiration, here are 10 reasons why you should join us!

1. To encourage the participation of older adults
   Whether you’re interested in learning opportunities, being a research participant, or engaging in a variety of activities and events, connect with UM staff to find out about opportunities available to you.
2. Personal and career development
   Interested in learning more about where your future career path can take you? Access resources to update your resume or learn about current job and volunteer opportunities and get recognized for your extracurricular activities through the student Experience Record. Connect with staff from Career, Community and Experiential Learning Centre. Those who are current students or have graduated from UM within the last six months can schedule meetings with Career Services and are also able to access online resources and workshops.
3. Range of education needs
   Whether you’re looking to change careers or pursue a graduate degree, staff from the Faculty of Graduate Studies can talk to you about the various graduate programs offered. They can also share information about the Graduate Focus on Aging Concentration.
   Are you in need of support for your learning? Student Accessibility Services can assist students with disabilities to foster future academic success. Connect with them in person to find out how.
4. Intergenerational learning
   There are many opportunities for older adults and younger adults to connect and learn from one another. Whether it’s by auditing a course or attending an arts or cultural event, check out the Events calendar to find out what’s happening on campus.
5. Online educational opportunities
   Whether you’re interested in learning about research through an online webinar or taking a short course, connect with Extended Education staff to learn about their range of learning opportunities both in person and online!
6. Research agenda
   The Centre on Aging has a participant database for those aged 55 years and older who are interested in participating in research studies focused on older adults. Sign up to be contacted about future studies and contribute to aging research.
7. Longevity dividend
   Manitobans are known for their generosity. By 2041, the projected number of those aged 65 to 74 years will be over 140,000 Manitobans, with over 80% of individuals aged 55–74 donating to a charitable organization. Learn how you can make a difference to future generations at the UM by connecting with Planned Giving staff.
8. Health and wellness programs and cultural activities
   No matter which campus you’re on, the Family Resource coordinator (Fort Garry) or Rady Family Centre  (Bannatyne) provide various resources and supports for staff to access on family care topics: child care, older adult care, newcomer supports.
   Visit Recreation Services to learn about their Aging Actively programs and if you haven’t already, take a tour of their facilities during the lunch hour.
9. University’s retired community
   UM staff considering retirement can find out about other considerations they need to know by connecting with the UM Retirement Readiness Peer Network Group or taking the Road to Retirement course on UM Learn.
   For those who will be retiring, speak with a University of Manitoba Retirees Association (UMRA) representative to learn how retirees can stay connected with the UM.
10. Dialogue with organizations representing older adults
    As part of the Centre’s 42nd Annual Spring Research Symposium, you can connect with exhibitors who will be available to talk about programs and services they offer in Manitoba to older adults, their caregivers, families, and friends.

For more information

To learn more about Age-Friendly University Showcase participants and initiatives, visit the AFU Hub.

This year’s Symposium will take place:

Wednesday, May 8 | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 204 Marshall McLuhan Hall, UMSU University Centre (and online) Fort Garry Campus

Spring Research Symposium presentations:

Aging research brings together a diverse group of researchers and professionals together. Our presenters will put a spotlight on research areas such as the social aspects of aging, age inclusivity, and using technology to support and promote aging in place at home, and more.

As the only research centre focused specifically on aging in the province, the Centre on Aging is bringing together six of their Research Affiliates from the University of Manitoba (UM) and Brandon University, who will present sessions on:

· smart technologies in at-home rehabilitation,

· improving age inclusivity at the University of Manitoba,

· older adults’ roles in Taiwanese Indigenous communities,

· preventing violence in long-term care,

· a framework for adult community rehabilitation, and

· in home companion robots to support wellness.

Between sessions, in person Symposium attendees can learn about current research over the breaks and lunch hour during the poster session. Connect with our poster presenters on the second floor in the multi-purpose room (MPR) in UMSU University Centre.

Exhibitors will also be participating in this year’s Symposium. Find out about the different programs and resources available to older people, caregivers, and their families by stopping by one of the tables and connecting with representatives available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

While this year’s Symposium will be hosted in a hybrid format, we encourage you to come in person and meet our researchers, but also connect with your fellow Symposium attendees.

Bringing in an age-friendly university perspective

In addition to the Centre’s regular Symposium events, the Age-Friendly University Showcase will take place in the MPR as a stand-alone event. No registration is required, and you are invited to check out the various tables and meet invited representatives from across the UM who will share information about programs and services open to the public.

In 2016, the University of Manitoba endorsed the 10 Age-Friendly University principles, making it the first Age-Friendly University in Canada to join a global network of post-secondary institutions looking to engage older people and be part of the university’s community. To highlight what the UM has been doing as an Age-friendly University, Centre Director, Dr. Michelle Porter will present, University of Manitoba efforts to improve its age inclusivity, during the morning session of the Symposium.

You might be asking yourself, what is an Age-Friendly University (AFU)? An AFU supports lifelong learning through various educational initiatives, cultural programs, wellness activities and engages older members in a globally aging world.

At the AFU University Showcase taking place May 8 in the UMSU University Centre, you can find a little something for everyone. Whether you are interested in taking courses or furthering your education, participating in active aging classes, supporting the arts and theatre community, or connecting with university alumni, say hello to some of the UM representatives from Extended Education, the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Family Resources, and others. Registration is not required to attend the Showcase.

As Michelle Porter says, “the University of Manitoba provides a treasure trove of opportunities for people of all ages through employment, volunteering for research studies, lifelong learning, engaging in recreational or health and wellness programming, attending cultural or sporting events, or interacting with people from around the world and from different generations.” Come out and

learn more about free tuition for those who are 65 and older, and many other opportunities specifically for older adults at the University of Manitoba.”

Learn more about this year’s Symposium and Age-Friendly University Showcase

For more details on this year’s Symposium program and registration, and to find out more about the Age-Friendly University Showcase, visit the Centre’s website.

To watch the full interview, please visit CTV Regina.

Two Rady Faculty of Health Sciences researchers—Phil St. John and Ruth Barclay—and their teams will be leading two separate studies to investigate aspects that impact healthy aging, like walking and where you live, through funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

The CLSA was launched in 2009 and is a national research platform, involving more than 50,000 Canadians, which is collecting data with the goal of identifying the determinants of healthy aging.

Dr. Ruth Barclay

Dr. Ruth Barclay, associate professor, Department of Physical Therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is receiving $69,868 for the study entitled: Self-reported and physical factors associated with community ambulation in older adults and people with osteoarthritis.

“The extent to which people are able to participate in their community often depends on their ability to walk outside of their home, in both outdoor settings like on a sidewalk or in a park and indoor environments like a shopping mall, community centre or friend’s home,” says Barclay. “The ability to walk in the community often decreases with increasing age and becomes more difficult when an individual suffers from a chronic condition such as osteoarthritis. Having limited community walking has been associated with reduced mobility, decline in self-care abilities, and social isolation.”

In this study, Barclay will use data from approximately 30,000 people in the CLSA to identify factors associated with community walking in older adults and those with osteoarthritis. Her and her team of colleagues from U of M—Sandra Webber (Physical Therapy) Jacqueline Ripat (Occupational Therapy), Robert Tate (Community Health Sciences)—will use both self-reported data via a questionnaire as well as objective data obtained through physical testing. They will examine differences between men and women and look for differences across different age ranges, i.e. 45-64, 65-74, 75+ years of age.

Because this study will make use of the largest data set ever available for this type of research, they will be able to test some existing theories about how factors combine to influence how well individuals are able to walk in their community. Their findings will help to better understand factors that limit and encourage community walking in Canadian older adults.

“We will gain more knowledge about whether the things that influence walking in the community differ for people with osteoarthritis,” says Barclay. “This is important for developing prevention and rehabilitation treatment programs with older individuals, including those with chronic conditions. This has implications for future research and policy planning.”

Dr. Phil St John

Dr. Phil St John, associate professor of Internal Medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine is receiving $64,300 to conduct a study entitled: Health Status of Rural Canadians.

“The health of people living in rural areas is attracting increasing attention,” says Phil St. John, who was born in the rural Manitoba town of Minnedosa. “We will look at the health of people living in rural regions compared to people living in urban regions across Canada. We will also compare the health of people living in differing rural areas, and explore the factors that lead to poor health. The issues we will consider are depression, the ability to carry out day to day activities, and access to health and social services.”

To do this, St. John and his team—Verena Menec (Community Health Sciences, U of M), Nancy Newall (Brandon University) Megan O’Connell (Saskatoon) and Robert Tate (Community Health Sciences, U of M)—will use information from a large study of about 20 000 Canadians between the ages of 45 and 85. These people live across the country, and are similar to Canadians in general. They live in remote areas, rural areas, small towns and cities. Information on their health, their mood, and their health care are measured using validated tools.

“The results of this study will assist in planning preventive measures aimed at people living in rural Canada, and in planning the health care for people living in rural areas,” says St. John. “Residents of urban areas can also benefit from learning about the experiences of people living in rural areas. Most importantly, the information will be useful for rural residents to assist them in making informed choices about factors affecting their overall health.”

In her presentation, Dr. Laura Funk will summarize some of her own research into care work for chronically and terminally ill older adults, illustrating the possibilities of qualitative inquiry in this area.

Her research has examined how paid and unpaid carers make sense of their experiences, preserve valued identities, and negotiate complex normative ideals and emotions surrounding care. Applying a sociological perspective, she has also explored (and critiqued) the broader social contexts which shapes carers’ experiences and interpretations.

Applied Health Sciences PhD candidate Kevin Boreskie [B.Kin/16, M.A./18] is also on the speaking agenda. Boreskie will present Frailty and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors prior to Dr. Funk’s talk.

What: Health, Leisure, and Human Performance Research Institute Seminar Series: Paid and unpaid care work for older chronically and terminally ill persons: what can we learn from qualitative research?

Who: Dr. Laura Funk, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba

When: Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2:30 p.m.

Where: Room 220 Active Living Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Open to the public!