In particular, Kadowaki says, the report highlights the important roles of community programs that promote nutrition, physical activity, and social support. As a volunteer at Eagle Ridge Manor, a residential care facility in Port Moody, BC, Kadowaki has seen these results first-hand. “While the staff at the manor do their best to make it a pleasant and comfortable environment, most older adults would prefer to grow old in their own homes. I think there are opportunities to improve care for frail older adults in B.C., and key to this is providing more resources to shift care into the community and support older adults to age in place in their own homes. There are some residents in the manor who I often think could perhaps have remained in their own homes if there were more supports available to them to age in place in their community.”
Kadawoki reports that Raising the Profile recently finished conducting seven regional consultations across the province, and in the fall will hold a provincial summit which will “bring together key stakeholders from the sector.” Kadowaki says what she really enjoys about this work is the opportunity to put research into action and engage in advocacy with the hope of creating change for older adults in BC: “This has been extremely rewarding, and many of the leaders of this work and people who have been at the forefront of advocating for change have been older adults themselves.”
This kind of self-advocacy by older adults also speaks to the kinds of stereotypes that Kadowaki hopes to shatter through her work. As she points out, “older adults are often portrayed as a homogenous group. It is important that we address stereotypes and ageist assumptions such as all older adults are frail/not capable/cranky/cannot use technology. Older adults are a very diverse population with a wide range of abilities, interests and circumstances.”