SFU Friesen Conference

The Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre (GRC) and the associated Department of Gerontology welcome you to the 31st John K. Friesen Conference entitled “Community Care and Supports for Older Adults: Inclusion, Innovation and Integration.” The conference aims to provide information enabling our society to address cutting-edge issues and new opportunities to enhance community care and support systems targeting a rapidly aging population. Some of the emerging themes include social prescribing, care and integration of community and health care systems, applications to age-friendly communities, and examination of facilitators and barriers to enhanced care, such as ageism, declining economic security, marginalization, and technological literacy and its age-related divides. Social prescribing builds on community and healthcare integration by focusing explicitly on the access and alignment of services to meet the assessed needs of individuals and communities. Highlights include keynote addresses; topical panel discussions, symposia, and poster displays presented by local, national, and international speakers representing community organizations, NGOs, government, and academic sectors.