Last week, Able Innovations had the pleasure of participating in the 5th Annual National AGE-WELL Conference in Moncton, New Brunswick. The theme was "Exploring the Future of Technology & Aging."
AGE-WELL NCE Inc. is a federally funded Network of Centres of Excellence. Established in 2015, the organization connects stakeholders nationwide to drive forward Canadian research and innovation in the field of technology and aging resulting in solutions that make meaningful differences in the lives of Canadians. Since its inception, the AGE-WELL has made tremendous progress in this mission, and has grown to over 250 researchers at 42 universities and research centers across Canada, with nearly 400 partnerships. With Canada on pace to join the ranks of “super-aged” countries by 2025, AGE-WELL’s mission and vision is more important now than ever.
Able Innovations is truly honoured to be a part of this network, and we look forward to continued collaboration with AGE-WELL to realize our own products that will improve the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers.
With Able Innovations formally joining the network in early 2019, this was the first AGE-WELL National conference we’ve attended, and we must say, we’re quite impressed! The conference kicked off with a “Drinks and Demos” Networking Reception, which afforded the opportunity for AGE-WELL’s partnered startups to present their solutions to conference attendees. Able Innovations and Dr. Bruce Wallace, the Principal Investigator for our AGE-WELL Strategic Investment Program project, presented our effortless transfer technology to delegates and detailed our progress made to-date and future plans. With (some) humility, we can proudly say our technology garnered significant enthusiasm from attendees.
The conference opened with remarks from the Chair of AGE-WELL, Mimi Lowi-Young, and the Honorable Dorothy Shepherd, minister of Social Development in New Brunswick. Following this was a keynote from former astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk, who detailed the future challenges of healthcare in deep-space, and how they relate to developments here on Earth today. Next was the first round of Innovation Talks, featuring presentations by Researchers and their partnered older adults or caregiver on their respective projects.
Next was the first Poster Session, featuring research presentations from all aspects of the AGE-WELL network. There, Dr. Bruce Wallace presented the preliminary results of our AGE-WELL SIP Project, Test system to measure and evaluate safe force on delicate tissue, currently in progress in collaboration with Bruyere Research Institute, Carleton University, and the Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3) Hub.
The day continued with three "Lunch 'n' Learns" covering topics such as scaling solutions, collaborative design, and innovation policies.
Following this were events featuring AGE-WELL's Highly Qualified Persons, who are researchers pursuing excellence in the fields of aging & technology.
Overall, the conference was an extremely positive experience. It afforded Able Innovations the chance to connect with passionate, talented, and committed individuals who are working across the nation to improve the wellbeing of Older Adults and caregivers through the promise of emerging technologies. AGE-WELL's early support of Able Innovations has been invaluable, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the network. #technology #aging #agewell #techforgood