December 2025
Institute member Raza Mirza reflects on his intergenerational class, joined by end-of-semester comments from students Marion Gommerman, Vida Wu, Aiden Lewis and Ava Airnes. (CityNews TV) (Global TV)
November 2025
Healthy Lives
Institute Director, Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson comments on physical exercise after retirement. (Globe and Mail)
Book Launch
In Aging with Agility: How Elite Athletes and Ordinary Folks Embrace Exercise with Age (Columbia University Press), U of T professor and Institute member Michelle Pannor Silver examines what motivates people to move and what holds them back. Drawing on nearly a decade of research and personal stories, Silver reveals how our perceptions of aging shape our physical health, sense of purpose, and connection to others. Save 20% with code CUP20 when you order directly from the publisher cup.columbia.edu
October 2025
In Memoriam: Dr. Blossom T. Wigdor, C.M. (June 13, 1924 – October 25, 2025)
It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Blossom T. Wigdor on Saturday, October 25, 2025. Dr. Wigdor was a trailblazer in the field of gerontology and a devoted advocate for aging research and education in Canada. In 1979, Dr. Wigdor was appointed the founding director of the University of Toronto’s program in gerontology (now the Institute for Life Course and Aging) establishing one of the first formal programs of its kind in the country. Her pioneering vision and lifelong commitment to improving the understanding of aging continue to shape our work and inspire generations of scholars and practitioners. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who were touched by her remarkable legacy. Additional details are available here.
Institute Director Esme Fuller-Thomson and alumni Katherine Ahlin and Alyssa McAlpine of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work link moving away from home to long-term health benefits. (Charlotte Observer) (USNews)
Research Affiliate Mabel Ho and Institute Director Esme Fuller-Thomson receive continued coverage for their research on successful aging (CNN Health) and recovery in old age. (CBC radio) (CBC radio)
Institute member Raza Mirza receives continued coverage for our intergenerational class, with comments from students Aiden Lewis, Hannah Lak and Marion Gommerman.(CTV)
September 2025
Healthy Lives
Research Affiliate Mabel Ho and Institute Director Esme Fuller-Thomson of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work share their research on successful aging, with mention of student Marion Gommerman of Arts & Science. (Washington Post)
Intergenerational Classroom
The Health and Aging HST308 undergraduate course co-sponsored by the Institute and taught by Raza Mirza of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, starts its 3rd year. Among the residents at Christie Gardens, student Marion Gommerman returns to school at 82 years old. (CBC TV) (Toronto Star) (Toronto Sun) (CBC radio) (Bell Media radio) (Citytv) (Global TV) (CBC radio: Fresh Air) (Corus radio)
August 2025
Housing challenges for seniors
Institute Members Raza Mirza and Amanda Grenier talk to the Toronto Star about affordable housing for older adults and the pervasive challenges facing those forced to leave the neigbourhoods that they call home.
“More women get Alzheimer’s than men. It may not just be because they live longer”
Institute Member Dr. Gillian Einstein of Psychology studies women’s brain health and aging. (CBC online) (CBC radio)
July 2025
The WHO released a new Framework to Implement a Life Course Approach in Practice.
Institute Director, Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson, was one of 11 Canadian researchers contributing to this global initiative
Download the document at: https://surli.cc/ovzcui
June 2025
New Findings on the Health of U.S.-born Asian Americans
ILCA faculty member, assistant professor Leafia Ye, has coverage on NBC of her research on Asian American older adults.
Asian Americans are no longer the healthiest racial group among older U.S.-born adults, according to a new study published in the Journals of Gerontology. Non-Hispanic white Americans now report lower rates of disability in this age group, marking a shift in health trends.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/us-born-asian-americans-no-longer-healthiest-group-older-adults-rcna212325
January 2025
Combatting “Social Aging”
Globe & Mail article with Institute Director Prof. Esme Fuller-Thomson, Mabel Ho, PhD, and Prof. Emerita Dr. Merrijoy Kelner on the importance of social connections.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-how-to-combat-social-aging/
December 2024
Intergenerational Classroom
Raza Mirza of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and students share insights from taking an intergenerational class.
December 2024
Aging and Marriage
Continuing to make news: watch the CP24 interview with FIFSW PhD graduate Mabel Ho explaining her findings on how marital status impacts aging in men.
November 2024
New artwork brightens the walls of the Institute for Life Course & Aging
The Institute for Life Course & Aging (ILCA) hosted a reception in its office at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work to celebrate the generous loan of artwork from two local older adult artists, Suk Kang and Cha Hee Park. Their colourful paintings now grace the Institute’s walls.
May 2024
We are sad to announce the passing of Judith A. Wahl, the founding director of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) and a longtime friend of the Institute for Life Course and Aging.
In addition to her devotion to championing the rights of older adults, she helped to prepare a generation of social workers through the course she taught in Law and Aging at the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work for many years.
https://www.acelaw.ca/blog/judith-a-wahl-in-memoriam/
April 2024
In The Media: Laura Tamblyn Watts of Factor-Inwentash Social Work shares her new book on supporting aging parents. (TVO: The Agenda)
March 2024
In The Media: Raza Mirza of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work leads a home share model between seniors and students.
February 2024
David Burnes of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work leads a project addressing mistreatment of older Canadians, which receives nearly $800,000 in federal funding.
Watch the news coverage on Citytv | OMNI TV Filipino
On ‘This American Life,’ Janelle Taylor shares her experience of her mother’s dementia
Read more details and listen to the podcast here: https://shar.es/agrk2F