Recent Projects

• Aging In the Margins: Building Inclusivity and Goodwill (AIM BIG)

  Grenier, A. (PI), Aleong, R., Balyasnikova, N., Buffel, T., Ferrer, I., Fuller-Thomson, E., Hanley, J., Katz, S., Marier, P., Mirza, R., Motel-Klingebiel, A., Phillipson, C., Raymond, E., Siren, A., Suanet, B., Sussman, T., Tamblyn Watts, L., Taylor, H., & Walsh, K. (2025). Aging In the Margins: Building Inclusivity and Goodwill (AIM BIG). Partnership Grants—Stage 1. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada (SSHRC). $20,000.

  Major gaps exist in understanding how marginalization is shaped in part by social responses and experienced by older people in the context of declining social safety nets, rigid eligibility requirements focused on age or social issue, and inadequate policy responses. This project has 4 inter-related objectives designed to catalyse immediate and long- term positive change: 1) develop a novel model of Aging in the Margins that includes a range of intersectional and place-based perspectives; 2) co-create accessible, research-based resources to equip NGOs, advocates, and decision makers with the data and stories they require to engage in change-making efforts; 3) engage and train a diverse field of students, organizations, and public citizens with the knowledge, skills, and expertise to understand and address marginalization and its everyday effects; and 4) stimulate action, and share research- based resources that include older people in the decisions that affect their lives. 

• Urban poverty in the everyday lives of older people: Case studies of Toronto and Montreal

  Grenier, A. (PI), Kontos, P., Joy, M., Marier, P., and Phillipson, C. (2024-2029). Urban poverty in the everyday lives of older people: Case studies of Toronto and Montreal. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Insight Grant. $328,000 CAD `{`ranked in 1st sextile; 3/50 applications in Education/Social Work`}`

  Poverty rates have been rising steadily among older people, while the effects of poverty in later life are often overlooked, resulting in knowledge and practice gaps. Meanwhile, urban poverty and low income operate as mechanisms of marginalization and social exclusion, and the negative impacts of poverty among older people are unequally experienced based on social location. This research examines the everyday lives of urban residing older people, with Montreal and Toronto as comparative cases. It aims to understand and (re)define poverty through three (spatialized) policy contexts: housing, transportation, and ‘forgetting’ as a moment in the need for care. The intent is to broaden existing concepts of poverty based on the experiences of older people in the context of their everyday lives. 

• Consent and substitute consent to participate in research: ethics and legal practices for the meaningful inclusion of Canadians living with dementia

  Grenier, A., (PI), Kobayashi, K., (Co-PI), O’Connor, D., (Co-I), James, K., Pon, S., Tamblyn Watts, L., and Mann, J. (2021-2024). Consent and substitute consent to participate in research: ethics and legal practices for the meaningful inclusion of Canadians living with dementia, Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, $100,000.

  This study explores the ethical and legal frameworks and practices involved in the inclusion and consent of people living with dementia (PLWD) in dementia research across Canada. People living with dementia may want to participate in research, however, a number of issues arise: incapacity is often presumed by researchers, ethics boards, and funders; contradictions exist about inclusion, rights and participation; guidelines vary across the country; and researchers may not be familiar with the legal frameworks in their jurisdiction or area of research.  

  This three-year project employs a multi-method approach comprised of legal research, literature and document review, and qualitative interviews. It aims to identify and understand the legal policy and research issues related to research consent among people living with dementia and the practices and challenges encountered by Canadian dementia researchers. The text based legal research will clarify the laws and policies in each jurisdiction, and the literature and document review will focus on guidelines for inclusion, rights, and vulnerability. Interviews with dementia researchers in a range of disciplinary contexts across Canada will be conducted in order to assess understandings, needs, challenges, identify best practices, and suggestions for change. Results from these three methods will be used to develop modules and training resources for the research community, decision makers, advocates, PLWD, and their caregivers/supporters. This includes the development of jurisdictionally relevant guidelines on legal consent for medical and non-medical research with PLWD. 

  For further information about the project please contact: [email protected] or Krista James: [email protected] 

  Promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQdOaIKKrbI 

• Precarity and aging: Unequal experiences in contemporary late life

  Grenier, A. (PI), Rudman, D., Kobayashi, K., Marier, P., Phillipson, C. (2016-2022). Precarity and aging: unequal experiences in contemporary late life. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) - Insight Grant. $231,520.

  The aging of societies is globally recognized, with governments focused on planning for the needs of ‘greying’ populations. Yet, while there is growing evidence of inequality in late life, and attention to the impacts of precarity caused by labour and migration in earlier periods of the life course, research has often overlooked precarity in late life. Our research team will explore ‘precarious aging’ at three locations of inequality: older people with low income, older people who are foreign born, and older people with disabilities. This five-year project will use mixed methods that include conceptual reviews, semi-structured interviews with key informants and older people, analysis of statistical and administrative data, and policy analysis to:

  1) Understand contemporary experiences of precarity and aging;

  2) Examine the adequacy of existing conceptual frameworks and approaches;

  3) Assess policy features to determine challenges, and identify key areas for change.

  The results of this project will contribute to better a understanding of precarity and inequality in later life, and establish a foundation upon which to base policy and practice recommendations. Results will also make substantial contributions to knowledge in social gerontology, and our respective disciplines of social work, occupational therapy, sociology and political science.

  https://precariousaging.com/

  [email protected]

• Reducing senior's social isolation: Linking community in a participatory research initiative

  Grenier, A. (PI), and Dunn, J. (2016-2019). Reducing senior’s social isolation: linking community in a participatory research initiative. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Pan-Canadian Projects: New Horizons for Seniors Funding Program. $267,338.

  Led by the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging (Amanda Grenier – PI) and supported by the McMaster Institute for Healthier Environments (James Dunn – Co-I) our project will link community partners and stakeholders – including older people—in a participatory research initiative aimed to reduce social isolation among seniors. Our project is a research initiative to bring community together in order to collectively understand and address social isolation through participatory research. The project will build community capacity with regards to senior’s social isolation; work in collaboration to identify the unique nature of social isolation in Hamilton; provide teams with the best available knowledge and research to help combat social isolation of at risk seniors; and facilitate knowledge exchange across sites and projects. Our strong relationships with partners, community, students, and seniors will allow us to discuss emerging data trends as they are identified. We will involve seniors, stakeholders, researchers (including students), and partners in all processes, and in doing so facilitate the multi-directional flow of knowledge across audiences.

  http://socialisolation.ca

  [email protected]

• Homelessness in late life: Growing old on the streets, in shelters and long-term care

  Grenier, A. (PI), Lavoie, J. P., Sussman, T., Rothwell, D., Bourgeois-Guerin, V. (April 2012-May 2016). Homelessness in late life: growing old on the streets, in shelters and long-term care. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) - Insights Grant. $169,060.

  This project explores the growing issue of homelessness amongst older people. Recent strategies have overlooked the issue of older homelessness, subsequently leaving the needs of older homeless people unattended in both housing policy and age-related social programs. Our research provides insight into the intersections between aging and homelessness, uncovering the complex challenges it poses to policy-makers and service providers in the fields of housing, social planning and long-term care. Guided by a critical perspective, homelessness is investigated at the levels of social programming and individual experience: late life challenges; changing relationships to place and space in cities and shelters; implications of impairment with regards to long-term care; and the influence of economic resources in late-life trajectories. This research is being carried out in consultation with three organizations in Montreal, and is intended to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in social gerontology and social work and lead to the development of specialized policies and programs for Canada’s older homeless population.

  ** Project was completed in 2016**

  http://aginghomelessness.com

• Late life transitions: Understanding the “fit” between policy and personal experience.

  Grenier, A. (PI), Leonard, P., Biggs, S., Manthorpe, J. (2005-2008). Late life transitions: understanding the “fit” between policy and personal experience. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) - Standard Research Grant. $121,613.

  The proposed research program aims to understand the public discourses and personal narratives that are used to make sense and plan for late life transitions. Combining document analysis with in-depth qualitative interviews, the research will explore conceptions of transitions at two levels: that of social programming and personal experience. The first phase of the research will identify and document the way transitions are understood within relevant international, European, national and local policy documents. This material will be supplemented by interviews with policy makers at the federal, regional and local levels (N=15). The second phase – informed by narrative and grounded theory– involves conducting a “three-series structure” of 90 minute qualitative interviews with a total of 75 participants. Participants will be selected from the three existing age groupings considered to mark the expectations of aging (i.e., 50+ prevention, 65+ maintenance and 75+ decline) as well as variations within four social locations (i.e., gender, disability, visible ethnic minority status and socio-economic status). The third phase will focus on the ‘fit’ between the two—examining the relevance of current age-based transitions, experiences across the life course and social location. The aim of the research is to provide new insight into the relation between policies and the experience of later life, so that policies may shape relevant social responses to the issue of transitions in later life.

• Understanding the impact of emerging societal discourses linking hearing and cognitive health: Insights from personal, clinical, and marketing perspectives

  Herrmann, B., Grenier, A., Plummer, R. (2025-2028). Understanding the impact of emerging societal discourses linking hearing and cognitive health: Insights from personal, clinical, and marketing perspectives. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Partnership Development Grant with Canadian Hard of Hearing Association. $199,183.

• Navigating digital Ageism: An interdisciplinary investigation into social media discourse, older adult perspectives, and research and policy priorities

  Chu, C.H. (PI), Grenier, A., Khan, S., Leslie, K., Bryanton, O. (2025-2029). Navigating digital Ageism: An interdisciplinary investigation into social media discourse, older adult perspectives, and research and policy priorities. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant. $289,055

• Exploring challenges in identifying homebound Black older adults and understanding what strategies work: A comprehensive scoping review and qualitative case study in the Greater Toronto area (GTA)

  Kalu, M. (PI)., Ojembe, B., and Grenier, A. (Co-I) (2024-2026). Exploring challenges in identifying homebound Black older adults and understanding what strategies work: A comprehensive scoping review and qualitative case study in the Greater Toronto area (GTA). SSHRC Insight Development Grant. $71,377

• Co-creating a new model of long-term care for older adults experiencing homelessness: Long-term caring

  Straus, S., (NPI); Co-PIs: Canzian, S., Fahim, C., Grenier, A., (Co-PIs), Marr, S., Orkin, A., Tricco, A., Watt, J. July 2024 – Jan 2028. With collaborators: Alston, J., Baral, J., Doria, N., Isaranuwatchai, W. Benjamin, E., Buell, D., Campbell, A., Campbell, N., Colucci, P., Crane, R., Dewey, P., Dockery, J., Dussard-Fletcher, S., Dykstra, T., Ferreira, J., Fetros, J., Graham-Nutter, S., McGowan, J., McKay, B., Nero, O., Peck, S., Prociw, T., Pugh, C., Smith,D., Tannenbaum, C., Verduyn, A., Co-creating a new model of long-term care for older adults experiencing homelessness: Long-term caring. CIHR Project Grant. Submitted September 2023. $1,231,650.

• From substitution to participation: recognizing persons with dementia as social citizens

  Sussman, T., Cascio, M.A., Grenier, A., Hunter, P.V., McCleary, L., & Soulières, M. (2023-2025). From substitution to participation: recognizing persons with dementia as social citizens. Alzheimer Society Research Program. Proof of Concept Grant. $100,000.

• Experiences of older people with vision impairment listening to audiobooks and podcasts

  Herrmann, B., Grenier, A., Wittich, W., and Sukhai, M. (2021-2026). Experiences of older people with vision impairment listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Insight Grant. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2021-2026). $259,004.

• Inclusive communities for Older Immigrants (ICOI): Developing multi-level, multi-component interventions to reduce social isolation and promote connectedness among older immigrants in Canada

  Guruge, S., Agrawai, S., Charpentier, M., Grenier, A., Hanley, J., Kobayahsi, K., Koehn, S., Sheilds, J., Sidani, S., Walsh, C. et al. (2020-2024). Inclusive communities for Older Immigrants (ICOI): Developing multi-level, multi-component interventions to reduce social isolation and promote connectedness among older immigrants in Canada. Partnership- Stage II. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ryerson, Toronto, ON, $2.5 M (CAD).

• Digital Ageism and Smart Home Technologies to Care for Older Adults

  Chu, C. (PI), Bianchi, A., Grenier, A., Khan, S., Leslie, K., collaborator: Nyrup, R. (2023-2024). Digital Ageism and Smart Home Technologies to Care for Older Adults. CIHR Institute of Aging (IA). Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support. $47,655.

International Network for Critical Gerontology

The International Network for Critical Gerontology brought together international and interdisciplinary scholars and graduate students interested in critical approaches to the study of aging and late life. Run by Dr. Grenier at the University of Toronto in Canada, this virtual network linked scholars from the humanities and social sciences. It provided a forum to consider contemporary issues in social/cultural gerontology, reflect on theoretical and conceptual questions in the field, and discuss new insights and developments.

** Network blog ran from 2012-2022****