Aging Well at Home: Preparation is Key!
The project
Thanks to funding from the Québec Ami des Aînés (QADA) program, SARPAD is launching the initiative Aging well at preparation is key! .
The project aims to provide seniors and their caregivers with information tools, a directory of resources and awareness- raising sessions to help them optimize homecare in old age. For more information, visit the new website.
Objective :
Who is well aware of the homecare services available in their community? It is often after a hospitalization that people have to resort to them, in a hurry, without knowing the full range of public, community or private resources available to them. It is also difficult to navigate the search for these services, as information is scattered all over.
This observation led to the creation of Aging well at home : preparation is key!
The project will include a website that will bring together all the information relevant to homecare, as well as practical advice and a directory of local resources to support seniors who wish to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
Approach :
Our approach is inspired by social geriatrics, which prioritizes local home care and support services, within the community and with respect for seniors' right to decide for themselves.
Social geriatrics is based on:1. Mobilizing community members to provide greater support for the health, quality of life and home care of seniors, while respecting their preferences and decision-making autonomy.
2. Setting up a community detection structure to proactively identify risks to seniors' health and take action before any deterioration occurs.
3. Better in-home support by caregivers who can directly help identify and prevent health risks, as well as support and empower seniors to take action on their own health.
4. Better continuity of service between community workers and professionals in the health and social services network, through the implementation of structuring mechanisms for information exchange and collaboration.
Source : Fondation AGES, Rapport annuel 2021, p.12 (available in French only).Vision :
• Act upstream by educating people aged 60 and over to adopt strategies to promote active aging.
• Establish a network of local public, private and community resources to help seniors stay in their homes and
communities.
Lieux du bénévolat :
• Empower seniors to make better-informed choices about their lives.
• Lighten the burden on caregivers by informing them about available resources and how the healthcare system
works.
The four components of the project
CONSULT seniors on their needs and preferences We have organized consultation workshops in the Côte-des-Neiges, Outremont, Parc-Extension and Milton-Parc neighborhoods where the pilot project is being rolled out. People aged 60 and over were invited to identify the information they would like to receive to help them prepare for aging at home. The activity was open to seniors and their caregivers. These consultations have been successfully completed.
ENCOURAGE people aged 60 and over to prepare aging at home In 2025, we are holding a series of 15 Aging well at home, you can prepare for it! workshops for people aged 60 and over and their caregivers. Designed to be dynamic, the workshops will enable participants to familiarize themselves with the tools available to help them prepare for aging at home, and to learn more about the resources available to them. Register by filling out this Form.
DEVELOP information tools and a directory of local resources A website featuring a range of themes and practical tips to help you age at home for as long as possible, while being better prepared, is available now. Accessible from anywhere in Quebec and beyond, the website is aimed at seniors and their caregivers. It will also include a directory of local care and service resources in the local service network (RLS) de la Montagne (Montreal neighborhoods of Côte-des-Neiges, Outremont, Parc-Extension, Milton Parc and Town of Mont-Royal).
CREATE a local caring community for seniors We want all seniors who are vulnerable due to illness or loss of capacity, or who are socially isolated, to benefit from a caring community. The community (family, friends, neighbors) and local organizations (banks, pharmacies, CLSCs, restaurants, hair salons, etc.) play an essential role in maintaining seniors' quality of life in their own environment. Thanks to the support of the borough council, Aging Well at Home : preparation is key! we pilot its first caring community for seniors in Outremont. Learn more
Advisory Committee
Aging Well at Home: preparation is key! is supported by an advisory committee made up of experts and seniors representing the community organizations that serve them By combining academic knowledge, practical and life experience, the advisory committee provides a valuable contribution to the project.
Yasmina Sleb
Program administration manager for geriatric and memory day centers and outpatient clinics
Irène Demczuk
Aging Well at Home: Preparation is Key! development consultant
Le Binh Tran
Director
Maude Lévesque
Professor - UQAM School of Social Work
Stéphanie Pilon
Social geriatrics development consultant
Daniela Roiban
Executive director
Sylvie Trépanier
Neuropsychologist
Retired home care and CHSLD manager - Health and social services network
Francine Unterberg
Founder and coordinator
Partnerships
This project is carried out by the SARPAD Volunteer Center, thanks to financial support from the Quebec government as part of the Québec ami des aînés (QADA) Program and contributions from partner organizations.