Elbows Up!
Fall 2025
Overcoming the Challenges of Aging and Ageism
This event is offered in-person and livestream
Tuesdays, September 23 – October 28, 1:30 – 3:30
Aging is inevitable, but how we experience it, especially in terms of our cognitive abilities, is influenced by a mix of biology, society and personal choices. In this series, we’ll dive into a mix of topics related to the science and perception of aging and ageism. By the end of the series, we hope to provide a deeper understanding about aging and actionable insights to empower seniors to embrace aging with confidence, resilience, intellectual vitality and choice.
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID): Current Status, Future Directions
Sept. 23: Dr. Brian Morris, MAID Provider
Medical assistance in dying (MAID) has been legal in Canada since the summer of 2016. Currently, about 5% of all deaths that happen in Canada are accounted for by MAID. Dr. Brian Morris, a retired family physician, has been a MAID provider since 2016. In this presentation, he will discuss the current status of MAID, describe the process in detail, and then look at some recent – and future – developments.
Older, Overlooked and On the Streets: Understanding Late-Life Homelessness
Sept. 30: Dr. Jillian Alston, Geriatrician, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Alesia Campbell, Social Worker-Geriatrics
The most vulnerable and marginalized older adults are disproportionately impacted by strained systems and fall through the cracks in current health, social, and housing systems. This session will provide an overview of the current crisis of late-life homelessness in Canada and hypothesize on why it has occurred. The session will discuss how older adults experience homelessness and how insecure housing drives accelerated aging and poor health outcomes amongst people experiencing homelessness. Finally, the session will outline possible solutions to promote health and holistic wellbeing for older adults experiencing homelessness.
Cognitive Aging: It’s a No- Brainer
Oct. 7: Heather Palmer, PhD, Director of Cognitive Rehabilitation, Maximum Capacity Inc.
Changes in the ability to think are a common, frustrating and often life altering part of the aging process. These changes can impact all aspects of life including relationships, psychological well-being and daily function. Fortunately, it is now well understood that the brain does have the capacity to develop new connections between regions to compensate for areas of weakness (a concept commonly referred to as neuroplasticity). Neuro-cognitive rehabilitation, founded on neuroplasticity, is designed to promote neural networking to improve how your brain functions. Through simple, sustainable and effective strategies you can rewire your brain to maximize your capacity, reduce your risk of dementia and enhance your overall cognitive well-being. The time is now to be proactive and learn techniques to help you think, feel and function your best.
Nice Try, Ageism – We’re Not Done Yet! Tackling Ageism and Embracing Healthy Aging
Oct. 14: Monika Simon, Ageism Committee Chair, NCJWC
This presentation on ageism will look at the types of discrimination experienced in daily life – some systemic, others personal and societal. Much of it is beyond our control, but a lot can be prevented and managed by us. We will examine the definition of ageism, identify why ageism makes us more vulnerable, and discuss practical solutions to diminish its effects.
A wealth of research has shown us how much our lifestyle choices contribute to the aging process. We owe it to ourselves to keep our brain and body healthy to stave off diseases that will compromise our well-being and diminish our quality of life.
In this session, we will share many of the risk factors we face and suggestions of how to minimize them based on the research by Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research and Education, and the Centre for Aging +Brain Health Innovation.
Join us on a tour of highlights from the podcast Defy Dementia, created by Jay Ingram, Canadian science writer and broadcaster, and Dr. Sekuler.
Critical Thinking in a Post Truth World of Alternative Facts
Oct. 21: Dr. Christopher DiCarlo, Philosopher/Educator/Author
The skill set of Critical Thinking teaches us that there really are better and worse ways to think about things. And it really is possible to have heated discussions, disagree entirely, and still be able to get along. Due to recent U.S. and world political events, one of the Oxford Dictionary’s Words of the Year was ‘post-truth’. This is an extremely sad commentary on how information is now delivered, interpreted, and acted upon.
Once ‘fake news’ becomes accepted as factual, it feeds on confirmation bias and becomes entrenched in the minds of people who want to believe it to be true. In order to live in free and just societies, all information is open to criticism and scrutiny without exception. And so it’s time to make facts and Critical Thinking relevant again.
The biggest take away from this talk is that if people use Critical Thinking skills fairly, they will be more empowered to have meaningful discussions about important issues, disagree entirely, and still be able to get along. Learning these skills will allow us to value discourse over hatred, dialogue over violence, and most importantly, fairness and understanding in our disagreements on important issues. And in today’s Age of Immediacy, where information and opinions are just a click away, there seems to be less and less time in which to practice such skills.
So if we truly value freedom of thought and expression, and the free interplay and exchange of ideas, then we must do so through the continued practice and use of such Critical Thinking skills. In such a manner, we can look to the future with the hope that civil and political discourse will regain its rightful place in the marketplace of ideas and we can once again acknowledge and appreciate the importance of truth and facts which will hopefully make conversations great again.
Life on the Page: Reflections on the Joys of Reading
Oct. 28: Dr. Gary Draper, English Professor (retired)
Those of us who turn often to reading do so for a host of reasons, from escaping into a life and a world different from our own, to exploring some of the more challenging issues of the world around us. Sometimes we are looking for information, sometimes for an engaging narrative, and occasionally just for the pure pleasure of well-tuned prose or poetry. Our tastes will almost certainly vary over time, but some things will probably remain constant. What can you learn when you examine your own history as a reader, from your earliest texts to what you read last week?
Speakers
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Dr. Brian Morris
Dr. Brian Morris has enjoyed being a Barrie resident since he was 5. After attending Barrie Central Collegiate, he went to the University of Toronto for medical school, then family medicine training at St. Michael’s Hospital. He retired from his busy family practice in 2020 and now limits his medical work to the provision of MAID. Outside of medicine, he is a husband of 48 years, a father of two, a grandfather of 3, and a gardener, a musician, a sailor, and a triathlete.
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Dr. Jillian AlstonDr. Jillian Alston is a geriatrician and clinician teacher practicing at St. Michael’s Hospital. She has established a geriatric outreach program to shelters in Toronto. The outreach program incorporates interprofessional education and research work. She is involved in medical education and is the current Older Adult Medicine Theme Lead for Foundations and the co-faculty representative for the Geriatric Interest Group at Temerty Medical School.
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Alesia Campbell
Alesia Campbell, MSW, RSW, is a clinical social worker specializing in geriatric care at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is the counsellor and coordinator for the geriatric outreach medicine program to shelters. She is passionate about providing support for older adults within the community to maintain independence.
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Dr. Heather Palmer
Dr. Heather Palmer is a Clinician Scientist specializing in brain-behaviour relationships. She is the founder of Maximum Capacity, which operates in both Canada and the US, providing brain fog programs designed to help people improve how people think, feel and function. Heather has been published in scientific journals and spoken internationally on the topics of cancer-related brain fog, dementia, cognitive rehabilitation, seniors’ brain health, social isolation and loneliness. She has been featured on television and radio as a leading expert in these fields.
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Monika Simon
Monika Simon was a senior executive in a range of industries, including the arts, beer, food and drugs. She has not slowed down in retirement! She volunteers with a wide array of organizations and serves as a board member for various local and national charities.
Through her ongoing work, she advocates against antisemitism and ageism, and for environmental responsibility. She loves spending time with her family, lives her daily life in three languages, swims, walks, enjoys arts and cultural events, and travels as much as possible. -
Dr. Christopher DiCarlo
Dr. Christopher DiCarlo is a philosopher, educator, and author. He is the Principal and Founder of Critical Thinking Solutions, a consulting business for individuals, corporations, and not-for-profits. He currently holds the position of Senior Researcher and Ethicist at Convergence Analysis – an international organization focusing on AI Risk and Governance.
Dr. DiCarlo is also the Ethics Chair for the Canadian Mental Health Association and is also a lifetime member of Humanist Canada and an Expert Advisor for the Centre for Inquiry Canada. He is the author of several books including his best-seller: How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions and his latest: Building a God: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Control It.
Dr. DiCarlo also hosts a new podcast called: All Thinks Considered in which he engages in free and open discussion about current, important issues with world thought leaders, politicians, and entertainers through the lens of Critical Thinking and Ethical Reasoning. -
Dr. Gary Draper
Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor (St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo) with a doctorate in 19th-century Canadian Literature (Western University, London). He has taught a wide variety of third age learning courses. Gary has also been an editor, a book reviewer, and a collector of Canadian cookbooks, and he continues to be an avid reader, an occasional gardener, a tentative choral singer, and a passable solver of crossword puzzles.