CIHR Institute of Aging Strategic Plan 2023-2028
Reframing Aging – Empowering Older Adults
CIHR-IA Strategic Plan 2023-2028
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Everyone deserves a healthy experience of aging and care that meets them where they are. It's time for us to reframe what it means to age, refocus on the value of lived and living experiences and reposition health care and supports to empower older adults to live vibrant, healthy lives at every stage.
Our Mission and Vision
Mission
Our mission is to advance training, research and knowledge mobilization to maintain and improve the health and wellbeing of all Canadians as they age.
Vision
Our vision is to foster research excellence to achieve equitable health outcomes and enable healthy aging for all older Canadians.
Research on Aging: Now More Than Ever
As Canada supports demographic changes, a rapidly growing older adult population and post-pandemic recovery, research is needed to advance our understanding of what comprises health in aging and to implement effective models of care through integrated care systems.
Older adults represent the fastest growing demographic in Canada.
- 19% of Canadians are aged 65+ (7 million people)
- 3x more Canadians aged 85+ by 2046 (2.5 million people)
- 16% increase in Canadian centenarians since 2016
- More Canadians aged 65+ than children under the age of 15
The pandemic has revealed real gaps in care for older adults in Canada.
- Restricted health care
- Profound mental health impacts from isolation
- Limited self-determination and decision making
- Increased incidences of cognitive impairment, dementia and frailty
Strategic Directions and Cross-Cutting Priorities
Long Description
Together, guided by lived and living experiences, we can advance equitable health outcomes and healthy aging for older adults across Canada.
Strategic Directions
- Implement Prevention Strategies and Promote Health and Wellbeing in Aging
- Adapt Health and Care Systems to Better Address the Needs of Older Adults
- Improve Lived and Living Experiences and Quality of Care in the Later Years
Cross-Cutting Priorities
- Indigenous Peoples' Health and Wellbeing and Indigenous Rights
- Engaging with Patients and the Public
- Partnerships and Collaboration
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Impact of Intersectionality
- Capacity Building, Career Development and Training
- Knowledge Translation, Mobilization and Implementation
Our new strategic directions place healthy aging, risk reduction and mitigation at the forefront, while we remain focused on reducing the impact of complex health challenges. By mobilizing knowledge and ways of knowing, we will drive toward health equity and an end to ageism, as we look to improve the health span in the later years for all older adults.
Our Strategic Plan 2023-2028 is founded on:
- 2,100+ responses from across our community
- 3 strategic directions to address the needs of Canada's older adults
- 6 cross-cutting priorities to promote a thriving research environment that engages all voices
The CIHR Institute of Aging Strategic Plan 2023-2028 is informed by the wisdom of countless people and partners across our community. We thank you for your invaluable input.
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