Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population

About Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population

By 2040, the population over 80 will more than double, but our perceptions of aging and plans for seniors’ care innovation have not kept pace. Let’s change the conversation. Coming of Age features host Donna Duncan, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association, in lively discussions with national and international experts on ageism and how to reimagine seniors’ care.

Publisher

Ontario Long Term Care Association

Category

government · news · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 May 2021

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

20 of 61 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Planning for the Future Needs of Seniors in Canada

   Host Donna Duncan interviews Dr. Parminder Raina, Scientific Director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, about planning for Canada's aging population beyond healthcare to foster independence and purpose.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Coming of Age: Season 6

   Host Donna Duncan, CEO of the Ontario Long Term Care Association, interviews experts on innovative approaches to care and community for Canada's aging population.

3. 

   24 Mar 2026

   Care Runs Through Everything: A Personal Conversation with the Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta

   Care doesn’t start with policy — it starts with people. In this special episode of Coming of Age, host Donna Duncan sits down with the Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, for a deeply personal conversation about leadership, responsibility, and what it means to answer the call to care. A registered nurse, Minister, MPP, mom, wife, daughter.. and even a student… Minister Kusendova-Bashta brings all of these identities into her leadership. Drawing on her nursing experience at the bedside, she reflects on how care shapes the choices we make as leaders, as systems, and as communities. This conversation goes beyond politics, portfolios and priorities. It’s about the leader behind the role, and why, in long-term care, leadership is more than a job. It’s a calling. Resources mentioned in this episode: Pathways to becoming a nurse (https://www.ontariocolleges.ca/en/pathways-to-nursing) in Ontario and supports for entering a career in health care (https://www.ontario.ca/page/careers-health-care) Incentives to work in long-term care for nurses (https://ontariohealth.ca/system/hhr/join-ltc) and PSWs (https://www.ontariohealth.ca/system/hhr/funding-psw) Ontario’s commitment to build and redevelop 58,000 long-term care spaces (https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006347/ontario-launching-new-funding-program-to-build-long-term-care-homes) In August 2025, Ontario committed to make Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program (https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006273/ontario-investing-89-million-to-help-people-age-safely-at-home) permanent and expanding it to serve more communities Learn about the Improving Dementia Care Act (https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1005431/ontario-connecting-people-to-dementia-care-and-supports-for-caregivers) that Minister Kusendova championed with MPP Laura Smith Community access to long-term care pilot program (about:blank) LTC Community Engagement Day (https://www.oltca.com/advocacy/ltc-community-engagement-day/). Engagement Day is a powerful opportunity to bring people together – residents, staff, families, and community leaders – to celebrate, connect, and advocate for long-term care. Join us September 18, 2026 (https://www.oltca.com/advocacy/ltc-community-engagement-day/) If you are a member of the public or a family member with questions or comments about long-term care, please contact the Ministry of Long-Term Care (https://www.ontario.ca/page/long-term-care-ontario) or call their long-term care hotline, available 7 days a week at 1-866-434-0144.

Inside a recent episode

Planning for the Future Needs of Seniors in Canada

Published 27 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So when I think from that point of view, I always think about aging is not only a biological process, But it also is a social process where we live, what we eat, what we breathe, who we interact with. All of that becomes important. And if you think about the type of research and the ecosystem I have created in relation to my own research, Canadian longitudinal study on aging is looking at all sorts of those pieces together. How do we age from cell to society? It's not about just the cells of the biology, but it also has something to do with our social circumstances. And then as part of McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, we are also creating an ecosystem that looks at trajectories of aging from a personal journey point of view and how these different pieces actually fit and inform the process of aging. […]

Who has been a guest on Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Parminder Raina
• Moira Welsh
• Sophiya Benjamin
• Adria Thompson
• Carolyn Triemstra

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

129,167

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

79

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

81

Contact Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Coming of Age: Meeting the needs of our aging population