october 2 & 3, 2025, the centre for education and research on aging & health (cerah) will hold its first ever centre-wide conference at the superior inn hotel & conference centre in thunder bay, ontario. the theme for the 2025 cerah conference is: aging through the life cycle.

this 2-day conference will bring together specialists, clinicians, researchers, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , and community members to share knowledge and collaborate across four key areas: aging in place, dementia and seniors’ mental health, indigenous peoples’ aging and health, and palliative care.

join us for brilliant keynotes, thought-provoking concurrent sessions, engaging poster presentations, and dynamic exhibitors! together, we will exchange ideas that support well-being throughout every stage of life. whether you are a healthcare provider, researcher, student, or community member, “aging through the life cycle” promises to offer valuable opportunities to connect, learn, and contribute to a future of inclusive, equitable and innovative care.

on august 18th, cerah hosted a successful native plant garden tour where guests were able to explore 6 different native plant garden sites throughout thunder bay. attendees learned about local plants and received gardening tips from homeowners, while volunteers from cerah and the north west dementia working group shared information on the dementia gardens: a place to grow project. huge thank you to all the homeowners who opened up their properties and shared their gardens with us. though most of the gardens were located on private properties, there is one beautiful public native plant garden located at boulevard lake – the adelaide butterfly garden. we highly recommend you check it out!

additionally, if you are interested in planting your own native plants, visit whispers from the north native plants (our very own dr. elaine wiersma is the owner!).

photos from the dementia gardens native plant tour on august 18 in thunder bay

cerah also had the opportunity to set up our booth at the pass lake 100th anniversary fair on august 24. we were able to engage with many locals and spread the word about the dementia café and dementia gardens. many residents were interested in our dementia resources and research. we also connected with a community leader who has invited us to present at her women’s group! all in all, it was a great day full of connections and community spirit! we look forward to involving more community members in our future projects.

stay tuned for future events and find out how you can support the dementia gardens project by visiting the website.

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from left: ken noakes (executive director, mroo), may remenda and bill latham (director of zone 8, mroo) at the annual zone 8 meeting in thunder bay on may 7, 2024. photo credit: mroo.

the municipal retirees organization ontario (mroo) has awarded $3,000 to cerah staff member may remenda, who recently completed her master of social work degree with a specialization in gerontology. under the supervision of dr. kathy kortes-miller, may’s work focuses on enhancing dementia care for indigenous residential school survivors relocated to long-term care facilities far from their communities. by advocating for culturally safer care practices, her work aims to ensure these elders are treated with dignity and kindness. 

may is the first lakehead recipient of the mroo’s targeted scholarship program. in 2024, the mroo signed an agreement with lakehead to become their second partner school in the new targeted scholarship program. 

read the full interview with may at https://www.mroo.org/en/whats-happening/targeted-scholarship-recipient-2….

check out our latest monthly newsletter by clicking the button below.