September 2026 Community of Interest Highlights
The Humber Aging in Community Education & Research (ACER) Community of Interest is a growing platform that facilitates the exchange of emerging trends, knowledge sharing, and the exploration of research opportunities.
Highlights from Our September Session
ACER’s Innovation & Impact Series returned this fall with a thought-provoking conversation featuring Ron Beleno, family caregiver advocate and Co-Founder of WeCanBe.ca.
Ron shared reflections from his own caregiving journey and highlighted some of the gaps families can experience when supporting aging parents and loved ones. The conversation explored how technology and innovation can help address some of these challenges while supporting older adults, caregivers, and aging in the community.
Key themes from the session included:
The lived experience of caregiving: Personal caregiving experiences can reveal important gaps in how older adults and families are supported.
Technology and innovation: Emerging technologies, including AgeTech, offer opportunities to support caregivers, older adults, and care systems.
From individual experience to broader change: Ron emphasized the importance of learning from caregiving experiences and using those insights to strengthen aging and caregiving systems.
Collaboration matters: Building stronger support for older adults and caregivers requires people, organizations, researchers, and communities to work together.
A shared vision: The session encouraged participants to think about how they can contribute to creating more supportive and connected communities for aging.
The session also sparked connections among participants working across caregiving, AgeTech, research, and community-based aging initiatives, highlighting opportunities for continued learning and collaboration.
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/consumers/owning-a-home/aging-in-place
Note:
The next Community of Interest (CI) gathering is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 2026, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM. We invite all individuals interested in participating in this important dialogue. Whether you are a researcher, practitioner, student, or are committed to improving the quality of life for older adults in our communities, your insights and experiences are highly valued. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults and the communities that support them.