On Aging Canadian Conversations

This episode discusses Social Prescribing with Kate Mulligan. Social Prescribing is a holistic approach to healthcare that brings together the social and medical models of health and wellness. It provides a formal pathway for health providers to address the diverse determinants of health, using the familiar and trusted process of writing a prescription.  Dr. Kate Mulligan leads Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing. She is an Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, an advisor to the Canadian Red Cross on determinants of health and knowledge mobilization, and a member of the Toronto Board of Health.

On Aging Canadian Conversations resumed in September, so mark your calendar for this twice monthly series featuring discussions with thought leaders about timely topics on aging.    Join us for a 30-minute break in your day to get informed and inspired. In each episode, you'll see a short video introducing a community-based organization that’s making a difference in the lives of older Canadians, and listen in on HelpAge Canada CEO Gregor Sneddon's conversation with a featured guest who brings a valuable perspective to the experience of aging on Canada.  On October 27th, Raza Mirza, with the Canada Home Share Program, discussed an intergenerational approach to housing. November will include Dr. Kate Mulligan from the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, and Dr. Corey MacKenzie, of the Aging and Mental Health Laboratory and Research Affiliate with the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba.

On Aging Canadian Conversations have resumed in September, so mark your calendar for this twice monthly series featuring discussions with thought leaders about timely topics on aging. Join us for the third and fourth Thursday of every month for a 30-minute break in your day to get informed and inspired.  The second episode this season will feature the work of Vanessa Sparks who is a Senior Services Specialist at Toronto Public Library. The Toronto Public Library has taken a leading role in serving older people in the GTA with creative programs and opportunities.  Vanessa is Senior Services Specialist, Older Adults & Seniors at Toronto Public Library. A key priority for TPL is to promote and support the social and digital inclusion of older Torontonians through innovative programs and services. Vanessa holds a Master of Library and Information Studies from McGill University and a Master of Social Work from University of Toronto. She developed a passion for working with older people while working in the fields of community mental health and seniors advocacy. For Vanessa, public libraries are essential social infrastructure that support well-being across the life course in a myriad of inspiring ways.

The first episode this season featured the work of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN) and joining us will be Janet Siddall, retired Canadian diplomat who spent most of her thirty-year career working in immigration and refugee affairs in Africa and Asia. She also held several senior positions in Ottawa, including that of Assistant Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  But it was her early experiences in the 1980s in Kenya that led to her abiding passion for sub-Saharan Africa and the challenges facing its people.  Janet returned to Africa in 2007 as the Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania before retiring in 2009. She now lives in Whitehorse, Yukon.  Janet has been active in the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN) since her retirement. GRAN is a not-for-profit network of volunteers from across Canada who advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of older women in the global south, and in particular, in sub-Saharan Africa. Janet served as the Co- Chair of GRAN from 2018- 2022.

Dr. Williamson is a member of the Moose Deer Point First Nation and Sturgeon clan. She was raised and returned to Mnidoo Mnising (Manitoulin Island) where she currently resides. Pamela advocates for the priorities of seniors and looks forward to discussing the health issues and priorities of indigenous elders based on her experiences and as an Anishinabek Kwe.