Featured Projects
The Centre on Aging highlights current research and educational projects led by its members and trainees. These projects reflect the wide range of aging-related work happening across UCalgary and demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary collaboration.
This page is regularly updated with new and ongoing projects that are helping to shape the future of aging research and education.
Creating a more equitable health system: Tools and strategies to help healthcare teams communicate with people with hearing loss
Hearing loss is common among older adults but often overlooked in healthcare. Without proper support, it can lead to poor communication with healthcare providers, negatively impacting care. A research team led by Dr. Marcello Tonelli at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine is exploring how Alberta’s health system can better support people with hearing loss.
Key findings from the team’s work include:
- Prevalence and risk: Analysis of provincial data shows that at least 150,000 adults in Alberta have hearing loss. It is linked to higher risks of heart attack, stroke, depression, dementia, and long-term care placement.
- Hospital-based testing: Of 372 patients tested in medical, surgical, and hemodialysis units, nearly half had hearing loss. Those with difficulty communicating reported poorer care experiences.
- Patient and community feedback: Focus groups and surveys revealed that fewer than 1 in 4 people with hearing loss described Alberta Health Services as accessible. Respondents called for better provider training, accessible communication tools (e.g., visual aids, voice amplifiers), and formal policies to document and accommodate hearing needs.
- Screening tools: The team also evaluated hearing apps and questionnaires to assess their accuracy in identifying hearing loss in busy care environments.
This research is informing the Communication Accessible Designation, a new initiative at Alberta Health Services. Facilities can earn this designation by implementing tools and training to improve communication accessibility. A pilot is underway and will expand in fall 2025.
Not just a round of golf: The co-creation of an inclusive golf program and participants’ experiences and program outcomes
Individuals with dementia and their care partners often experience barriers to being physically active and socially connected, both of which are important for well-being. To help address these barriers, the City of Calgary developed Fore! The Love of Golf, a golf program for people with dementia and their care partners to participate in together. A research team from UCalgary, led by Dr. Meghan McDonough in the Faculty of Kinesiology, studied the co-creation of the golf program, participants’ experiences, and program outcomes.
Many participants with dementia felt empowered by the opportunity to golf again and enjoyed connecting with others they could relate to. While some felt nervous about their golf skills or experienced challenges when the program did not fully align with their needs or goals, they still described the overall experience as very positive.
Care partners found that support from staff and volunteers helped create a safe, welcoming environment and offered a much-needed break from some of their caregiving responsibilities. They also received emotional support through meaningful social connections, and found validation and insight by seeing how others navigated similar dementia-related challenges.
Most participants were retired and all were straight couples, where the husband exhibited moderate cognitive impairments and the wife had a relatively high level of caregiving responsibility. This suggests the program may have been particularly attractive to those with moderate levels of dementia.
Informed by insights from this research, the City of Calgary developed a toolkit for recreational programs for individuals with dementia. They also expanded their program offerings for people with dementia to include gentle fitness and yoga classes, in addition to continuing their golf program.
