Dear colleagues and friends,

February has been a month full of milestones at the NIA, one that reflects both the urgency of Canada’s demographic shift and the practical solutions needed to respond to it. From participating in the inaugural “Ageing on the Hill” advocacy day on Parliament Hill to celebrating HelpAge’s anniversary and 50 years of impact (wow), this month has been marked by momentum, collaboration and a shared commitment to advancing age-inclusive policy in Canada.

Have a look at our most recent work: 

• Shingles Awareness Week & New Health Policy Research Report: We released a new report examining the continued gaps in shingles vaccine access and coverage, alongside Reverend Dianne Parker’s powerful story that shingles is common, serious and largely preventable.

• Launch of the Cost of Ageing Calculator: A first-of-its-kind interactive tool to help Canadians better understand and plan for the real costs of ageing (all in 30 seconds)! 

• Celebrating One Year of the Pension Centre of Excellence (PCE): During National Pension Awareness Week, we celebrated one year of the PCE, a nonpartisan, research-informed and action-oriented platform focused on strengthening the retirement financial security of Canadians.

Upcoming:

• New Webinar - Rethinking Dementia Care: Join us on March 11^th as Dr. Samir Sinha and our friends leading Mint Memory Clinics explore how primary care providers can lead dementia diagnosis and management, drawing on innovative, team-based models that expand timely, person-centred care across Canada. Sign up here!

We thank you for being a part of this important work.

Warm regards,

Mark Hazelden
Executive Director (Interim)
National Institute on Ageing

“The Pain Was Worse Than Childbirth”: Why Shingles Awareness and Prevention Can’t Wait

What happens when a largely preventable illness derails your independence?
Hear from Reverend Dianne Parker, a 79-year-old in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who was infected with shingles. 

Her experience reflects a broader national challenge. According to the NIA’s new report, The Overlooked Issue of Shingles Infections in Older Canadians and How to Address It., approximately 130,000 new shingles cases occur in Canada each year, costing the health-care system an estimated $67–82 million annually. Yet fewer than 4 in 10 Canadians aged 50+ have received even 1 dose of the recommended vaccine.

Toward Harmonized Adult Vaccination Schedules Across Canada

The NIA was proud to support The International Federation on Ageing’s January 2026 consensus statement, titled "Toward Harmonized Adult Vaccination Schedules Across Canada," which highlights persistent gaps in access to recommended vaccines for older adults and calls for stronger national alignment across provinces and territories.

Introducing the Cost of Ageing Calculator 

Canadians are living longer than ever before. At the same time, the costs of later life — especially care and support — are increasingly falling on individuals and families. Without a clear picture of these costs, how can anyone know if they’re prepared for retirement? That’s where the Cost of Ageing Calculator comes in.

The Cost of Ageing Calculator is a free, first-of-its-kind interactive tool designed to help Canadians better understand and plan for the real costs of ageing.

What differentiates it from other retirement planning tools? 

In less than 30 seconds, it lets you explore how typical retirement costs — including food, housing, transportation, health and care, and other expenses — vary based on real-life factors, including:

1. Where you live in Canada 

2. Whether you live alone or with someone else 

3. Your housing situation (owning, renting, retirement home, long-term care) 

4. Your health and care needs (including home care) 

5. Your desired standard of living (Modest, Moderate, Comfortable)

Developed by Dr. Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald, Director of Financial Security Research, and He Chen, Senior Researcher, the COA Calculator is easy to use, free and non-commercial, and it doesn’t collect your personal data. 

Celebrating 1 Year of the Pension Centre of Excellence 

February marks an important milestone for the Pension Centre of Excellence (PCE) and a reminder of what’s possible when a community unites around strengthening retirement security.

Launched with 35 founding members, the PCE has built a national, non-partisan research platform focused on improving financial security in later life. In the past year, we have:

• Convened leaders across pensions, policy and research

• Hosted two in-person gatherings to shape a shared agenda

• Launched the Cost of Ageing Calculator

• Led Canada’s second National Pension Awareness Week

Most importantly, the PCE has created a collaborative space where evidence and expertise inform better retirement outcomes for Canadians.

Stay tuned in the first half of March for the PCE's first publication: Understanding and Communicating the Value of Workplace Retirement Plans.

Thank you to our valued members for their dedication to improving the retirement financial security of Canadians.

PCE Spring Symposium

PCE Winter Symposium

Rethinking Dementia Care: How Primary Care Providers Can Lead the Diagnosis and Management of Dementia in Canada

Up to 70% of Canadians living with dementia remain undiagnosed, delaying access to the care and the support they need.

Join Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research, for a focused, evidence-driven discussion on how primary care providers can lead dementia diagnosis and ongoing management. Drawing on lessons from the MINT Memory Clinic model, this webinar will explore practical, team-based approaches that are transforming dementia care across Canada.

Speakers:

• Dr. Linda Lee, Founder & Executive Director, MINT Memory Clinic

• Dr. Michelle Casey, Primary Care Physician, MINT Memory Clinic (NB)

• Andreanna King, Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick

• Michael Lee, Managing Director, MINT Memory Clinic

• Sana Adi, Engagement Director, MINT Memory Clinic

This Is Aging: The Future of Aging in Canada

Hosted by the University of Toronto’s Translational Research Program and Intergenerational Classroom, This Is Aging: The Future of Aging in Canada takes place March 24 from 4–6 PM at U of T.

This free, intergenerational panel — featuring Dr. Raza M. Mirza, Dr. Samir Sinha, and Laura Tamblyn-Watts — will explore aging in place, social connection, financial security, and the future of care.

Ageing on the Hill: Building Momentum for Age-Inclusive Federal Policy

The NIA was proud to participate in the inaugural “Ageing on the Hill” advocacy day on Parliament Hill alongside HelpAge Canada, the Elder Justice Coalition and 18 partner organizations from across Canada.

We met with Parliamentarians and joined roundtables with the Honourable Stephanie McLean, Secretary of State for Seniors, and Leslie Church, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour, for Seniors, and for Children and Youth, and to the Minister of Jobs and Families, to discuss how we can work together to: 

• Strengthening Community-Based Seniors Services (CBSS): Recognizing the critical role of 10,000+ organizations helping older adults age safely in their communities.

• Improving Bill C-16 on coercive control: Ensuring protections extend beyond intimate partners to include abuse by adult children, relatives, or caregivers. Read our recent commentary on coercive control and the need to strengthen federal legislation to better protect older adults.

• Advancing retirement income policy: Urging the federal government to have the Chief Actuary evaluate the feasibility of the NIA’s Pension Delay Guarantee proposal.

Aging Without Dignity: Seniors and Poverty (Podcast)

As Canada becomes a super-aged nation, many older adults are struggling with poverty, housing insecurity and limited home care — despite most wanting to age at home.

In this podcast, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) host Avis Favaro speaks with older adults across Canada and Dr. Samir Sinha about why the country remains unprepared to meet the needs of its ageing population.

New resources from the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) 

• For care partners and people living with dementia: Is it depression, or could it be apathy?

• For health professionals: Distinguishing apathy from depression in neurocognitive disorders

More than nine million working Canadians lack access to a workplace retirement plan, a gap that disproportionately affects employees of small- and mid-sized businesses.

In a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute, “Spreading the Benefits,” NIA Senior Fellow Keith Ambachtsheer and Alex Mazer, CEO of Common Wealth, propose a targeted federal Small Employer Retirement Plan Tax Credit to reduce cost barriers and expand coverage. Depending on take-up, the program could expand coverage to between 125,000 and 500,000 additional workers over five years at an estimated cost of $1 billion to $2 billion over that period – a modest cost in the context of federal retirement spending.

Sector Events:

• March 3, 2026: This is Aging: A Series of Intergenerational Conversations

• March 5, 2026: Vaccines for Older Adults: What you Need to Know to Stay Healthy and Independent (Okanagan Embrace Aging Month)

• March 10-12, 2026: Building a Future for All: Connecting Age-Friendly Strategies to Emerging Priorities

• March 26–29, 2026: International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG) 15^th World Conference - Empowering Aging with Gerontechnology 

• June 7-9, 2026: The CBSS Sector Summit

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TMU National Institute on Ageing Fund

Help create a Canada where older adults feel valued, included, supported and better prepared to age with confidence by making a charitable gift to the TMU National Institute on Ageing Fund today. Gifts to the TMU National Institute on Ageing Fund make a tangible impact on the future of ageing in Canada. You choose the amount. You make the difference.