The York University Centre for Aging Research and Education (YU-CARE), a new Senate-approved research centre in the Faculty of Health, will conduct interdisciplinary research on graceful aging.
The research will focus on aging in various community settings, such as persons’ homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities, and will concentrate on four themes as follows:
- care practices, caregiving and care delivery;
- aging policy and promotion of healthy aging;
- cognitive neuroscience of aging; and
- physiology and biomechanics of aging.
“The launch of YU-CARE represents an exciting time for research at York, highlighting new areas of opportunity as identified in our Strategic Research Plan, Building on Strength,” said Robert Haché, vice-president research and innovation. “The new centre will offer a synergistic hub for aging research and education, in addition to helping to build capacity in optimal aging research, education and practice.”
Aging research is becoming more important as Canadians are living longer, with life expectancy now reaching a record 80.2 years. It is expected that by 2036, one in four Canadians will be 65 or older.
“Aging positively and gracefully – for example, being as healthy as possible as one moves through the life course – is a huge opportunity yet challenging to achieve,” said York’s Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner. “This vision is at the heart of YU-CARE. The diverse academic disciplines and community partners of YU-CARE will spark innovations for achieving graceful aging for all people and communities in Canada and indeed worldwide.”
“YU-CARE will provide a dedicated setting for interdisciplinary researchers and community stakeholders to collaborate and exchange knowledge,” said William Gage, associate dean research and innovation in the Faculty of Health, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science and the inaugural director of YU-CARE.
Gage also holds an appointment at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute as a member of the Mobility Team. His research expertise is in the areas of biomechanics and neuromuscular control, and his research interests are associated with mobility and factors related to aging, injury and disease, which impair mobility among older adults.
“Research at YU-CARE will be conducted in partnership with key stakeholders so that the knowledge developed is responsive to the needs of community stakeholders and has maximum potential to inform policy, practice and educational initiatives in promoting successful, graceful aging, and in preventing and facilitating management of health-related functional declines, chronic diseases and disabilities in aging,” added Gage.
The new research centre currently encompasses membership from four units in the Faculty of Health, including nursing, psychology, kinesiology and health science, and health policy and management, and is inviting new members from Faculties across York University.
For more information, contact Jasmin Amin, centre coordinator for YU-CARE.