Pictured, seated, l-r: Dr. Megan MacGillivray, Dr. Laura Estill, Dr. Ann Bigelow, and Dr. Katie Aubrecht. Standing: Dr. Derrick Lee, Dr. Adam Perry, and Dr. Erin Mazerolle. Missing from the photo are Dr. Dan Kane, Dr. Ann Fox, and Dr. Erin Austen
StFX faculty member Dr. Katie Aubrecht says she cringes whenever she hears the term aging population.' "It's always couched in that it is some sort of a problem. And we know here how vital and vibrant the community is. It's people with experience and history, and communities are often led by people of age."
To bolster and help connect StFX and community initiatives around positive aging, Dr. Aubrecht and 10 fellow StFX faculty formed a StFX Rural Age Friendly University Working Group last fall: Drs. Ann Bigelow (Psychology), Megan MacGillivray (Health), Adam Perry (Education), Dan Kane (Human Kinetics), Ann Fox (Nutrition), Derrick Lee (Math), Laura Estill (English), Erin Austen (Psychology), and Erin Mazerolle (Psychology). They have successfully secured a $20,000 Age Friendly Communities grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors and Long-term Care to assess and strengthen StFX's age-friendliness.
StFX: A Rural Age Friendly University Initiative aims to create an inclusive and age-friendly environment. Grant partners include Keep Well Antigonish; Pictou Antigonish Regional Library; Community Links: Aging Well Together; and Engage Nova Scotia.
"The grant is a planning grant to find out what is happening and to develop a template that we can use as no other institution in Nova Scotia has this designation," Dr. Aubrecht says.
Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barabara Adams announced the funding in June through the Age-Friendly Communities Grant program, which supports community efforts to create age-friendly environments, promote healthy aging and support initiatives that help lead to positive impacts in the lives of older adults in Nova Scotia. In total, 44 projects were awarded nearly $540,000.
At StFX, the group is looking to address ageism in post-secondary settings and work towards StFX earning an age-friendly designation.
Group member and StFX psychology professor Dr. Ann Bigelow is president of Keep Well Antigonish, a successful initiative which has provided exercise, wellness and information programs in the community for the past six years. Dr. Bigelow says many older adults are the backbones of their communities. Strengthening university-community connections and intergenerational learning opportunities, bringing together students and the younger demographic with an older demographic, helps all.
Another group member Dr. Megan MacGillivray, who teachers a course on disability and aging across the lifespan, says she is excited by the possibilities of the grant, including working to make the campus community more inclusive to the broader community.
Dr. Aubrecht says the StFX Rural Age Friendly University Working Group will use surveys and public forums to seek input from retired faculty and the broader community. Surveys will assess contributions of retired faculty and gauge perceptions of aging within the StFX community.
The forums will also encourage discussions on age-friendly initiatives, including reducing financial barriers and fostering community partnerships.
The scan will analyze StFX policies and processes in areas such as teaching, research, lifelong learning, intergenerational learning, encore careers, and civic engagement, aligning with principles advocated by Age Friendly Universities.
Outreach will also prioritize historically excluded communities, supported by the university's regional partnerships. Dr. Aubrecht says faculty team members plan to integrate aging-related content into courses and engage in community-based research aligned with the project's goals.
Anyone wishing to become involved in the working group can contact carelab@stfx.ca
