¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Research Project: COAR

May 14, 2025

Working with the Aging Community: A Toolkit for Building a Collective of Older Adult Researchers (COAR)

Developed through a collaboration between ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV’s STAR Institute and Vancouver-based , the COAR Toolkit is a practical resource for engaging older adults as active partners in community-based research. It is the result of efforts to establish the Collective of Older Adult Researchers (COAR), supporting 411’s vision of becoming a hub for community-led research.

Through hands-on, intergenerational workshops, COAR members and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV graduate students built research skills together—from shaping questions to sharing findings—using a citizen science approach. Their collaborative project focused on mobility barriers in local neighbourhoods, applying their training to a real-world issue directly affecting older adults.

Informed by the lessons and successes of this project, the toolkit offers clear steps, tools, and strategies for anyone committed to inclusive, community-engaged research with older adults.

View our downloadable toolkit HERE

In addition, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV STAR Institute helped develop 411's Community Hub platform on their website.

Check out the 411 Senior Centre Community Research Hub .