2022 Provincial Summit on Aging Summary Report

From April 27-29, 2022, United Way British Columbia's (UWBC) Healthy Aging hosted the third biennial 2022 Provincial Summit on Aging (Summit) at the Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport in Richmond, B.C.

Driven by delegate interest via community and provincial consultations, previous 2017 and 2019 Summit takeaways, and other Community-Based Seniors’ Services (CBSS) activities and insights, the 2022 Summit assembled CBSS sector organizations, older adults, family and friend caregivers, academia, and government representatives to discuss and collaborate on current issues and innovations in healthy aging in B.C., and beyond. The 2022 Summit theme was ‘Better Together’, and attendees gathered, many for the first time in more than two years, to pave the way towards an integrated, older person-centered model of support in British Columbia.

The Summit provides a valuable forum to facilitate community leaders speaking to and inspiring other community leaders. For the first time, online and in-person participation options were provided to Summit attendees. Whova, an event management app, made this possible, providing comprehensive features including registration, program info and personalized agendas, networking, messaging, exhibitor connections, and more.

The Summit was positioned around several important objectives:

• Address acute challenges faced by the CBSS sector, and the seniors and Elders the sector supports
• Share impacts, showcase leadership, highlight accomplishments, and celebrate successes
• Facilitate networking among leaders from across the province, Canada, and internationally
• Advance sector-led skill development and resources
• Raise visibility of the sector, promote sustained programming, and explore opportunities for building capacity and collaborative solutions
• Identify and solidify ways to work more collaboratively within and across the sector, and within health, government, and academic networks
• Learn from the wisdom and lived experiences of speakers, panelists, and peers
• Identify next steps in the development and growth of the CBSS sector