About IA

Seniors are the fastest growing age group in Canada. By the year 2026, seniors will constitute more than one out of every five Canadians. This represents a dramatic demographic shift in the population of Canada, and will have profound consequences for all aspects of individual, community and national life. It also reflects the importance of placing research into aging at the forefront of health research in Canada today.

The Institute of Aging has a broad mandate to support research and build research capacity in the field of aging. CIHR established the Institute of Aging “to support research, to promote healthy aging and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with aging.” Unlike many other CIHR Institutes, which are focused on particular diseases, the Institute of Aging’s mandate is the aging person in an aging society, and the effects of different diseases and conditions on aging. Its goal is to improve the quality of life and health of older Canadians by understanding and addressing or preventing the consequences of a wide range of factors associated with aging.

In its short history, the Institute of Aging has become a national leader in addressing health research priorities for seniors. IA initiatives not only link and support researchers located in universities and hospitals across the country, but also bring together different levels of government, practitioners, voluntary health organizations and seniors themselves.

Together the Institute of Aging community is working to increase our knowledge about aging, in order to help address the challenges facing Canada's growing seniors' population and to promote the elements of healthy and successful aging.

The CIHR Institute of Aging is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to providing our aging population with the support needed to live healthy, independent lives and to maintain quality of life in all states of health.

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