Almost $23 million has been allocated to 26 different initiatives as a part of the Healthy Seniors Pilot project.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard says these research projects are aimed at tackling challenges faced by seniors in our province, “We have per capita, one of the largest populations of seniors in the country and that has made us unique and a well suited location to have hosted this pilot project. Over the last three years, we have been fortunate to see a significant number of projects proposed and funded all with the aim of better understanding the impacts of aging and improving the quality of life for seniors and their loved ones.”
A total of $75 million has been provided under a federal-provincial agreement.
This is the third and final series of pilot projects to receive funding.
The 26 new projects have been selected to support the following outcomes:
• Improving social and physical environments to foster healthy aging by designing spaces, systems, and infrastructure to enable seniors to live independently and
healthily. (four projects)
• Reducing health inequalities by promoting access to health and social support among those who speak a minority language, people in rural communities and
seniors with specific health conditions. (three projects)
• Initiatives which support a healthy lifestyle, wellness, independence and a good quality of life by providing support for physical activity, nutrition, injury prevention,
and mental wellness. (three projects)
• Using supportive technologies to foster healthy aging by integrating emerging and existing technology into the range of health and social support services and
equipment that seniors and /or their caregivers can use in their homes and care facilities. (seven projects)
• Create innovative care pathways to improve options, access, timeliness, and efficiencies when delivering health and social support services. (nine projects)
“Seniors want to stay active members of society and these applied research projects are aimed at improving their quality of life whether they live at home or in a care facility,” said Shephard. “These projects lay the groundwork for the dissemination of evidenced-based best practices in supporting healthy aging in our province and for the benefit of the whole country.”
