Growing old en masse: How will society adapt to an aging population?

In Quebec, the senior population is projected to reach 2.3 million by 2031, constituting over a quarter of the province's residents—an unprecedented demographic shift. Looking ahead, how can we envision a society that genuinely addresses the potential challenges and opportunities created by this shift?  What might need to change in how we approach areas such as lifelong education, leisure, caregiving and retirement planning?  More importantly, how might this influence our perspectives on autonomy, agency and fulfillment? This public conversation seeks to consider the implications of aging societies on both our social structures and our fundamental understanding of what it means to lead a "good life".

Guests:

Jeri Pitzel is a professional organizer whose youngest client just turned 89 years old. Jeri works with seniors to help them maintain their quality of life and independence. Working one-on-one with both autonomous elders and those who have lost their autonomy, she sees the challenges and gifts that a growing population of elders will offer to society.

Kate de Medeiros is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Concordia University. As a social gerontologist, her work has explored various topics related to the experience of growing old to include friendships in later life, the meaning of suffering, and home, place and identity.

Moderator:

Alexandra Pierre works at Office of Community Engagement at Concordia. She has been working on feminist, migration and racism issues for the past fifteen years. In 2020, she became the first black woman elected president of the Ligue de droits et libertés. She published the essay Empreintes de résistance. Filiations et récits de femmes autochtones, noires et racisées in 2021. In her spare time, she reads everything she can get her hands on.

About University of the Streets Café

As a flagship program of Concordia University’s Office of Community Engagement, the public bilingual conversations are free and open to participants of all ages, backgrounds and levels of education. Since its inception in 2003, University of the Streets Café has hosted over 400 bilingual public conversations. 

Follow us on our Facebook page or visit us at concordia.ca/univcafe to learn more about our programming and last-minute scheduling updates.