B/OLD 2024

Joyful Noise

May 7, 2024, 1:30 to 2pm
Choir performance
In person only

Alzheimer Groupe Inc and Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise is a music therapy group led by Alzheimer Groupe Inc’s (AGI) board certified music therapist. They are comprised of creative and compassionate older adults who meet every Monday in the activity centre of AGI in Côte Saint-Luc. Throughout the day, they participate in a variety of staff-led activities to foster their strengths and promote a sense of camaraderie. Music is for everyone. Joyful Noise sees this year’s B/OLD event as an opportunity to showcase their musical interests, make connections, advocate for quality aging, and as one member put it, help others to “find joy” in music-making as they do. In the spirit of the conference theme, members of Joyful Noise invite us all to “Grow Together.” 

L’été de Bernice

May 9, 2024, 11am
Short film screening
Hybrid (online here)

Collectionneuses

“L’été de Bernice” is an ethereal journey into Bernice Poitras’ musical universe, at 83 years old. The idea behind this project was to offer her the opportunity to exist differently and to dream a little. Over the course of a weekend, her talent is showcased on a grand scale. The mission of the organization “Collectionneuses” is to create a dialogue among older adults around artistic projects involving them. We aim to demonstrate concretely that despite age, the limits of what is possible can be pushed.

Navigating turbulence: Community workers, older adults and policy makers on surviving the pandemic

May 10, 2024, 10 to 10:45am
Short film screening
In English and French with English subtitles.
Hybrid (online here)

Kim Sawchuk, Sam Thulin, Isabela Cossio Bedoya, Christina Haralanova, Concordia University

This video triptych delves into the experiences of older adults, community sector workers and policy makers who provided and received community support and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their stories of living through the pandemic paint a picture of resilience amid hardship, harnessing opportunities, adapting to rapid technological change, and facing unprecedented—and sometimes unexpected—needs in the community. Through a blend of candid interviews and evocative imagery, the video series captures the realities of navigating a landscape in flux during a time of crisis. This series is developed as part of a broader research project titled “Non-profit organization and COVID-19: Understanding, mapping, and enhancing community care for older adults in Montreal in a post-pandemic world”.

Cecilia in residence

May 13, 2024, 11:00 to 11:15am
Hybrid (online here)

RECAA

The activist organization Respecting Elders: Communities Against Abuse (RECAA) will present a scene created by RECAA members titled “Cecilia in Residence,” offering a peek into Cecilia’s world to gain a deeper understanding of her life, her family’s, and the lives of those in a long-term care facility. Through Cecilia’s story, you’ll be invited to question the individual and collective impacts of the long-term care system. This scene sets the stage for an open discussion at 11 am, between the public and a panel of researchers and community advocates who will explore imaginative strategies for change within long-term care for elders.