A reflection by Dr. Bonnie Jeffery.
Dr. Bonnie Jeffery’s research focuses on older adults, dementia, aging in place, rural and remote settings.
Our research takes us into people’s homes.
You get a whole other look at someone’s experience when you sit at their kitchen table. We never forget that every individual’s experience is important.
For example, intellectually I always knew that people in rural communities would need long-term care and that it might be many kilometres away. However, I had not really considered that on a personal level.
I was sitting at a research participant’s kitchen table and she told me that she no longer sees her partner everyday.
The lack of transportation has made it nearly impossible.
There was no transit infrastructure available to her in rural Saskatchewan. What an enormous impact to this person’s life, and we have the opportunity to understand and connect with her actual experiences.
What do older adults need to support aging?
What are their experiences? This is at the heart of our research—better understanding of people and rural communities, in order to find effective interventions.
Learn more about Dr. Jeffery and team’s Aging in Place research at SPHERU.
Seniors are one of the fastest growing population groups in Saskatchewan, which makes understanding their health needs of vital importance. Rural and northern communities in Canada are facing escalating challenges in meeting the health care needs of an aging non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal population. Using population health intervention research, SPHERU researchers are working to identify effective interventions at the policy, community, and kin levels that support healthy aging in place for both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal seniors.