Hamilton Aging in Community

Resilient Aging and Healthy Housing Options – 4 week course
2022-04-05 12:30 - 14:00, 2022-04-12 12:30 - 14:00 UTC | Online
Tuesdays, March 22 & 29, April 5 & 12; 12:30-2:00pm
Facilitators: Judy Shepalo & Ellen Ryan
A workshop with four sessions designed to help maturing adults have the conversations necessary to successfully become conscious of the issues common to growing older, to get out of denial, and to become proactive in their own aging process. Participants will learn about the many advantages of living in a supportive community such as cohousing and can decide if aging in community is right for them. Key concepts discussed will include interdependence, compassionate communication, reciprocal support, social cohesion, the environmental and economic impact of cohousing, the risk of taking charge or doing nothing at all and recognition that we do not outgrow our need for others.
This is a repeat of the course offered in 2020 and 2021 – now with a focus on small group discussions. Participants will watch a video tutorial prior to each discussion session.
Please spread the word.
Register for the Zoom Workshop by contacting Judy Shepalo at cohousinghamilton@gmail.com

Passing on the Lessons: Writing Ethical Wills and Legacy Letters
2022-10-01 09:30 - 11:30 | Online
Passing on the Lessons: Writing Ethical Wills and Legacy Letters
Saturday, October 1 – 9:30am – 11:30am via Zoom
Speakers: Pastor Loretta Jaunzarins, Pastoral Ministry, Trinity Lutheran Church
Dr. Ellen Ryan, McMaster University
A two-hour workshop on the history and purpose of writing ethical wills as well as numerous examples and tips about how to proceed in drafting a document to leave for your family when you are gone and/or to send legacy letters from time to time while you are still here. Learn with us how to create this gift for your loved ones.
Follow-up optional writing sessions are available via zoom. A chance to practice a specific format for writing brief legacy letters – that can add up to an ethical will and inspire your loved ones in the meantime. Four sequential Tuesdays: 11:00am – 12:30pm, October 18, 25 and Nov 1, 8.
For information and to register for Zoom, please contact Loretta Jaunzarins, ljaunzarins@gmail.com

Pilgrim Shadows: Being Creative in Later Life (IN-PERSON)
2022-10-14 14:00 - 15:00 | Dundas Library, 18 Ogilvie St, Dundas, 18 Ogilvie St, Dundas, Hamilton, Ontario, L9H 2S2, Canada
Pilgrim Shadows: Being Creative in Later Life (In Person)
Date: Friday, October 14, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Location: Dundas Library, 18 Ogilvie St, Dundas
Speaker: Ellen Ryan
To accompany her current exhibit (Oct 1-Dec 31) Pilgrim Shadows at Dundas Library, Ellen will feature these photographs of her shadow out walking in the world as she describes the joys and benefits of creative expression in later life.
Note that a similar presentation will be given online, Wednesday, Nov 9th, at 3:30 pm.
Contact Ellen Ryan at hamiltonagingcommunity@gmail.com for registration information

BEING CREATIVE IN LATER LIFE: PILGRIM SHADOWS (Online)
2022-11-09 15:30 - 16:30 | Hamilton Public Library ONLINE, 55 York Boulevard, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 4E4, Canada
Date: Wednesday, November 9 at 3:30-4:30 pm (HPL ONLINE)
Location: Online- Hamilton Public Library
Speaker: Ellen Ryan
To accompany her current exhibit (Oct 1-Dec 31) Pilgrim Shadows at Dundas Library, Ellen will feature these photographs of her shadow out walking in the world as she describes the joys and benefits of creative expression in later life.
Contact Ellen Ryan at hamiltonagingcommunity@gmail.com for online registration information.

Housing Policy, Health Policy and Aging Populations: Intersections and Imperatives
2022-11-15 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
ZOOM: Register for Zoom Link
Speaker: Jim Dunn, PhD
Professor and Chair of the Department of Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University
Co-Sponsors: Cohousing Hamilton and Hamilton Aging in Community
“There is a great deal of concern about the aging of the population and what it will mean for health services, long-term care facility capacity, etc. and at the same time frequent discussions about ‘aging-in-place’ and ‘age-friendly cities’, etc. Relatively little in these discussions considers the importance of charting strategic future directions for housing, transportation and home-based supports. In the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the number of people over the age of 80 will grow by 700,000 people by 2041, so the need to better coordinate housing and institutional care is urgent. I will discuss some important ways to frame the issues and some future applied research directions.”
James R. Dunn, Ph.D. (Jim) is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health, Aging and Society at McMaster University and a Scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. He holds the Senator William McMaster Chair in Urban Health Equity at McMaster University and is the Director of the McMaster Institute for Health Equity. He has held numerous awards and appointments, including the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Chair in Canadian Studies at Harvard University in 2011-2012. In 2020, he established the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC), a knowledge mobilization and research capacity-building hub funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Trained in urban health geography and social epidemiology, he has published widely in geography, public health, urban planning and epidemiology and has worked closely with governments at all levels to address issues related to the effects of income security, housing, urban development on health and healthy child development. His research program has a strong focus on ‘population health interventions’ and includes projects on the health, social and child development impacts of public housing redevelopment in Toronto’s Regent Park, the development of policy implementation tools for healthier urban form, and the effects of subsidized housing on mental health and well-being. From 2017-2018, he was co-Principal Investigator of the Ontario Basic Income Pilot, a bold study of the effects of a guaranteed annual income on a variety of health, work and social outcomes, involving 6,000 participants in 3 communities in Ontario.
To Register: send an email to Hamiltonagingcommunity@gmail.com

Putting the Community in Tiny House Living
2023-03-20 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Cohousing Hamilton Presents: Putting the Community in Tiny House Living
Speakers: Blake Poland & Dekyi-Lee Oldershaw
Date: Monday, March 20, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Blake and Dekyi-Lee will briefly share their own tiny home experiences. Blake will unpack the Tiny House movement through its history and evolution, trends, tensions and view ahead. We can explore what Co-Housing with Tiny Houses might look like as well what community our individual and collective needs might suggest.
Blake Poland is a professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, where he is the Director of the Collaborative Graduate Specialization in Community Development. Blake lived in Hamilton for 8 years during and after grad school at McMaster. He is passionate about tiny living, with experience in the design of tiny houses on wheels, stealth camper vans, and most recently an electric car camper. His research on community resilience features an emphasis on citizen-led and social movement iniatiatives, and the relational social fabric of communities.
Dekyi-Lee has lived for 14 years in intentional tiny home communities: Findhorn Foundation in Northern Scotland then in Queensland, Australia. Her happiest years have been living a simple life.
Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5642529779
Passcode: [REDACTED] (Passcode is required)
ID 5642529779

The Art of Writing Memoir
2023-03-22 13:00 - 15:00, 2023-03-29 13:00 - 15:00
Facilitator: Ellen Ryan
Co-Sponsors: Hamilton Aging in Community, Hamilton Public Library
Writing a memoir (life stories) is a creative activity that benefits the older writer as well as family and loved ones with whom stories are shared. We discuss benefits, writing strategies, and sample stories. Within each session, participants respond to writing prompts and are invited to read their work aloud. Participants are encouraged to take part in both sessions.
Sessions are open –
(Wednesday, March 22: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm)
(Wednesday, March 29: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm)
To Register, please contact Chris via email at cdagosti@hpl.ca

Aging Issues: Listening to Indigenous Voices
2023-04-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Online
Saturday, April 22, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Interfaith-sponsored Panel, hosted by Hamilton Aging in Community
Co-Sponsors: Concerned Lay Catholics, Trinity Lutheran Church, Diocese of Hamilton, and Meadowlands Fellowship Christian Reformed Church
Facilitator: Donna McGreal, McMaster University
Three Speakers:
Kitty R. Lynn Lickers, Six Nations,
Sessional Instructor, Elder
The Venerable Val Kerr, Tyendinaga Nation, retired Archdeacon of Truth, Reconciliation and Indigenous Ministry for the Anglican Diocese of Niagara
Tiana Cress, Garden River First Nation,
Life-Long Care Program Director, Friendship Centre (Hamilton)
To Register for Zoom Meeting with reminders,
please contact Ellen Ryan, hamiltonagingcommunity@gmail.com
Click Zoom Link here, required passcode: [REDACTED]

Art of Writing Memoir
2023-05-10 13:00 - 15:00, 2023-05-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Ancaster Library, 300 Wilson St E, Ancaster, Ontario, L9G 2B9, Canada
In-Person Event
Dates: Wednesdays, May 10 & May 17, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Ancaster Library, 300 Wilson Street East, Ancaster
Also Sponsored by McMaster Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging & Ancaster Library
Facilitator: Ellen Ryan
After almost 4 years, an in-person pair of workshops on writing memoir, with an optional homework writing assignment to read aloud in the second session.
To register, contact Ancaster Library, 905 648-6911.

Cohousing Hamilton Speaker Series - Positive Aging and Health
2023-05-15 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Monday, May 8, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Speaker: Anne Pizzacalla, Hamilton Council on Aging
Topic: Educational workshops on Positive Aging and Health
Click here for zoom link. Passcode: [REDACTED]

Sailing with the Winds of Change: Aging and Spirituality: Jane Kuepfer
2023-11-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Private: Zoom, Canada
Join us on November 19th from 2 pm – 4 pm to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Hamilton Aging in Community for a speaker event: Sailing with the winds of change: Aging and Spirituality with Jane Kuepfer.
To register, click on the following link to go to Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hamilton-aging-in-communitys-10th-anniversary-online-event-tickets-742259537257?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Art of Writing Memoir
2023-11-22 13:00 - 15:00 | Hamilton Public Library ONLINE
Date: Wednesday, Nov 22, 1:00-3:00 pm
Location: Hamilton Public Library Online
Ellen Ryan facilitates two sessions with examples and guidelines for writing memoir. Opportunities to write and read aloud are offered.
Register for these online sessions through Hamilton Public Library Events, or by email to Chris, cdagosti@hpl.ca.

The Art of Writing Memoir
2023-11-29 13:00 - 15:00 | Hamilton Public Library ONLINE
Date: Wednesday Nov 29, 1:00-3:00 pm
Location: Hamilton Public Library Online
Ellen Ryan facilitates two sessions with examples and guidelines for writing memoir. Opportunities to write and read aloud are offered.
Register for these online sessions through Hamilton Public Library Events, or by email to Chris, cdagosti@hpl.ca.

Mindfulness and Aging Online Workshop
2024-10-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Hamilton Aging in Community Fall Online Workshop
Thursday, October 17th, 2024 | 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Online Venue: Zoom

Join us as we consider together the benefits of mindfulness practice for aging and several practical ways to practice mindfulness.
Ellen is a mindfulness, meditation and movement teacher with 20 years of experience. Her focus is on self-compassion, aging and supporting folks at end of life. She completed a comprehensive Contemplative End of Life certificate training program with the Institute of Traditional Medicine.

Research suggests that being more mindful in our everyday lives can protect our health as we age—and even help us live longer. Some possibilities are to help prevent depression and anxiety, improve cognition, fight disease, manage pain and even offer a better overall quality of life. As well as looking briefly at this research, this workshop will teach you the basics of mindfulness, the difference between, and examples of, formal and informal practice, and barriers to practice. We will have a chance to practice meditating including the very helpful self-compassion practice. Additionally, we will share a special practice for caregivers or anyone who needs to practice compassion and hold space for others going through a difficult time whilst also helping yourself. Suggestions will be made on how to deepen your practice post-workshop.

Join us online on Zoom at 2:00 pm. Register on the link below:
Hamilton Aging in Community – Mindfulness and Aging Workshop Tickets,
Thu, Oct 17, 2024 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

Memoir Writing Workshop
2024-10-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Ancaster Library, 300 Wilson St E, Ancaster, Ontario, L9G 2B9, Canada
Memoir Writing Workshop at Hamilton Public Library
Wednesday, October 23, 1:00-3:00pm
In Person
Location: Ancaster Library, 300 Wilson St E, Ancaster
Register via email to Chris, cdagosti@hpl.ca.
AND/OR
Wednesday, October 30, 1:00-3:00pm
Online
Hamilton Public Library Online
Ellen Ryan facilitates these workshops on writing memoir with opportunities to write with prompts and to read aloud. You may attend one or the other or both!
Register via HPL Online LINK or by email to Chris,cdagosti@hpl.ca.
