Events

A Lunch & Learn with Dr. Heunjung Lee

"Addressing Dementia Stigma and Celebrating Cultural Memory through Strength-Based Dance with Korean Canadian Older Adults"

Wednesday, May 27th, 12-1pm
Health and Wellness Building (HWB 230), UVic & Virtual

In this talk, Dr. Lee explores cultural imaginaries and stigma surrounding dementia as represented across popular culture, with particular attention to the culturally specific contexts of South Korea and the Korean diaspora in North America. Building on this critical investigation, she discusses her SSHRC-funded postdoctoral project, Moving through Dementia, a strength-based and collaborative dance program with Korean immigrant older adults living with dementia in Calgary that seeks to challenge deficit-based narratives of dementia while advancing cultural inclusivity in community dance programs. The talk highlights how Moving through Dementia theorizes and applies strength-based dance dramaturgy to create enabling environments in which ethnocultural older adults living with dementia can express embodied cultural memory, knowledge, imagination, and creativity.

Registration required:
Lunch will be provided if attending in-person, email IALH@uvic.ca

Biography:
Dr. Heunjung Lee is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dance at the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary, where she leads a SSHRC-funded project, Moving through Dementia: Enabling Embodied Creativity of Immigrants Living with Dementia through Culturally Tailored Movement Program (2025–2027). This work has also been recognized by an Alzheimer Society of Canada Postdoctoral Award. As an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researcher, her work examines cultural narratives and representations of aging, dementia, and long-term care across popular cultures and media, as well as questions of cultural inclusion and accessibility through collaborative, arts-based research. Her work has been published in arts and humanities journals such as Contemporary Theatre Review and Theatre Research in Canada, as well as in health sciences journals, including Dementia and Journal of Advanced Nursing. Her work also appears in several edited collections, including a recent chapter in Late Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging (University of Michigan Press, 2026).

Older Adults in the Emergency Department: Experiences, Gaps, and Better Ways Forward
Thursday, May 28, 1 - 3:00pm - Yakimovich Wellness Centre

Eldercare is hosting this educational session for caregivers, healthcare providers, and members of the public interested in improving emergency care for aging populations. Led by IALH Research Fellows Dr. Mariko Sakamoto and Dr. Jae-Yung Kwon, the session will explore how older adults and their care partners experience care in emergency departments (EDs). Drawing on patient-oriented research, lived-experience workshops, patient narratives, and a rapid review of the literature, the session highlights a growing mismatch between emergency departments designed for speed and efficiency and the complex needs of older patients. The presenters will discuss common system-level challenges and share human-centred strategies that can improve dignity, trust, communication, and overall care experiences for older adults in emergency settings. Register today.

Hosted by UVic’s Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health and the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Extended Entry Deadline! Monday, June 1, 4:00pm (including Entry Form)

Showcase: June 8-12, 10am-4pm, The Audain Gallery, Visual Arts Building, UVic.

Prizes: Prizes: A $100 gift card will be awarded to one individual in each age category selected by a committee. In addition, a $100 gift card will be awarded to the People's Choice Award, voted on by the public in attendance at the showcase.

What is Brain Art all about?

This year’s Brain Art Contest theme invites you to explore how community and culture shape our mental well-being across the lifespan. Through art, we ask questions such as: How does belonging support mental health? What do inclusive communities look and feel like? How do our connections evolve as we age?

We’re interested in artwork that reflects resilience, vulnerability, healing, ritual, care, and support — the shared human experiences that connect us to one another.

Artists of all ages and abilities are invited to submit work in any form, including visual (paintings, sculptures, drawings), written (poetry, short stories), performance-based (theatre, dancing, singing), or digital (photography, video).

Participants enter by categories:

• Young Creators (12 years & under)
• Teen & Youth Visions (13–24 years)
• Adult Reflections (25+ years)  

Who can enter?

Everyone! Open to all members of the community — whether you're a UVic student, faculty, staff, or a local resident. No artistic experience needed!

How to submit your artwork:

• Each submission must include an entry form found here.
• Deadline extended to Monday June 1st by 4:00pm
  Submit your artwork by email to IALHResearch@uvic.ca or drop-off at IALH, Hut R, room 103, Phoenix Road (off McKenzie Ave), between 9am - 4pm, Monday-Friday.

Seed Funding Showcase 2026

Discover how seed funding sparks new ideas, collaborations, and early-stage research at the UVic Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health (IALH).

Join us for IALH’s inaugural Seed Funding Showcase, an in-person evening gathering featuring presentations from the three researchers awarded pilot study funding in 2025. Each will share their innovative projects and insights in a 25-minute presentation.

Presenters

• Dr. Farah Mawani
  • Title TBA
• Matilde Cervantes Navarrete
  • Intergenerational Wisdom: Weaving Art, Indigenous Knowledge, Climate Justice and Open Hearts for Planetary Health Futures
• Sasha Zinovich
  • Title TBA

This is a wonderful opportunity to:

• Learn about new and emerging research ideas supported through seed funding
• Ask questions and engage in conversation about research on aging and lifelong health
• Connect with the IALH research community

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Time: 5:30–7:00 p.m. PT
Location: SUB Upper Lounge, University of Victoria
Cost: Free community talk (all are welcome)
Refreshments: Light appetizers and refreshments will be served

Registration details coming soon!

Realist Review Workshop

July 3, 9am-4pm
University Club, UVic
$25 (Includes Lunch)

Defy Dementia 

Tuesday, July 7, 2026
In-person & virtual

Baycrest Academy for Research and Education is co-hosting their next Defy Dementia on the Road event at the University of Victoria University Club in partnership with University of Victoria Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, Island Health, and Alzheimer Society of BC & Yukon. The event will be in-person (and live streamed) and co-hosted by Jay Ingram and Dr. Allison Sekuler (President and Chief Scientist at the Baycrest Academy for Research & Education and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation). The event will include a brief overview of the modifiable risk factors of dementia and the Defy Dementia initiative, a panel Q&A with people with lived experience and dementia experts, and an audience Q&A. We will be focused on providing our audience with actionable strategies to support their brain health and aging journey. After the 90-minute formal program, in-person audience members are welcome to stay and interact with demonstration booths with resources and the latest research and innovations in aging, brain health, and dementia from the local BC ecosystem.

The Better Choices, Better Health® Online Self-Management Program, is the online version of the internationally recognised Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, developed and tested at the Stanford University Patient Education Centre. 

This is a free, six-session, asynchronous web-based program offered on a dedicated website that meets government privacy requirements. It is open to BC adults of all ages living with one or more ongoing health conditions.   A computer and internet connection are required; no web-cams needed; and participants do not need to be online at the same time.

In this group (max. 25 participants), moderated by two trained peer facilitators, you will learn about:

• Techniques to deal with problems such as frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation
• Appropriate exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance
• Appropriate use of medications
• Communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals
• Healthy eating
• Making informed treatment decisions
• Disease-related problem solving
• Advanced directives

The Better Choices, Better Health Program enhances regular treatment and disease-specific education.

Sessions are highly participative through internal messaging and online discussion boards. Log in at your convenience for about 1.5 to 2 hours per week.

Weekly activities include:

• Reading
• Making and posting a weekly action plan
• Participating in problem-solving and guided exercises on bulletin boards
• Participating in self-tests and activities

To register, see https://www.selfmanagementbc.ca/betterchoices 

For more information please visit www.selfmanagementbc.ca or call TOLL FREE: 1-866-902-3767