Policy Solutions

APPTA develops policy solutions that address existing challenges being faced by Canada’s aging population. We analyse the best available research, synthesize the options, and provide policy solutions for our government stakeholders to review. Our aim is to provide federal, provincial, and territorial governments across the country with the evidence they need to innovate aging policy in Canada.

Communities of Practice

APPTA’s Communities of Practice are about bringing people with common interests together so that they can learn from each other’s experiences and develop collaborative solutions that benefit Canada’s aging population. These communities are stakeholder driven—the topics, participants, and outcomes are determined based on the needs of network members.

Our Communities of Practice take a purposive approach to collaboration; they are structured around a stated goal and have an identified timeline for completion. This allows us to build capacity for knowledge exchange without falling off track or getting bogged down in the details.  Our goal is to provide an organized platform where people have the space to share information that isn’t being shared using traditional mediums, so that we can fully realize the potential of evidence-informed decision-making together. 

Policy Challenges

Policy Challenges leverage the wider AGE-WELL community’s expertise to answer questions on aging policy. The Challenges are set up as dynamic, iterative processes for AGE-WELL trainees to hone their knowledge translation skills, all while providing government stakeholders with evidence to inform their policy decisions. Each Challenge winner learns how to prepare a policy report, as well as how to present to policy-oriented audiences.

The aim in putting out these Challenges is to build capacity for more evidence-informed policy that betters the quality of life of older adults in Canada. By taking a unique approach that brings together early career researchers and policy decision-makers, APPTA and AGE-WELL are helping form important policy-research partnerships that will continue beyond the scope of the Policy Challenges. 

PEP Talks Program:

APPTA fosters the capacity for innovation in aging policy and practice by providing development opportunities for researchers and policy makers that enhances their ability to impact change. PEP Talks is an interactive, e-learning series for researchers to enhance their knowledge translation skills. This program is comprised of 3 main webinars targeting specific KT skills: how to effectively articulate research findings; how to prepare a policy brief on research findings; and how to present to policy stakeholders.

The final component of this program provides participants with a chance to facilitate their own webinar with policy stakeholders and put their learned tools to practice. By providing researchers with a direct opportunity to present their work to policy-makers, we hope to facilitate evidence-informed decision-making in aging and technology.

Podcast:

APPTA’s podcast, MileAGE, aims to take research findings the extra distance to a broader audience. The podcast hosts, Jenna Roddick and Dan Smiley, invite researchers to speak about their findings in a way that articulates their key messages and the real-world impact of their work. Research has a lot to offer in terms of developing innovations that can help the lives of older Canadians. The aim of this podcast is to engage a wide listenership, including policy-makers and the general public, so that knowledge translation in the aging and technology space can come full circle and reach those it impacts most: older adults and caregivers.

Internship Program:

APPTA’s Internship is an exclusive program for undergraduate students in New Brunswick to begin developing the skills they need to pursue a career in health policy. Over the course of a school year, APPTA interns complete a literature review, conduct a jurisdictional scan, write a policy brief, and prepare a presentation to government policymakers on their policy research question. Our objective is to provide experiential learning opportunities to students who are interested in aging policy that help prepare them for the start of their career. We also want to give them a competitive advantage—by providing them with access to the APPTA network, our interns are forming policy-research partnerships before the end of their undergraduate studies.