The Oasis program is designed to strengthen and sustain healthy communities of older adults by addressing important determinants of healthy aging, including social connections, nutrition, physical well-being, and sense of purpose. It was co-developed with older adults as an innovative solution to support aging well at home.

 

Oasis Senior Supportive Living Inc. was started in Kingston over 15 years ago at Bowling Green II. The program was developed as a collaboration between the Kingston Council on Aging and the residents of the Bowling Green II apartment building. It was created to support older adults to continue to age well in their own apartment community. It is a concept that recognizes the importance of self-determination and offers programs based on the identified needs and wishes of Oasis members. By leveraging the strengths of members, existing community services and programs, and a skilled onsite coordinator, the program seeks to enable seniors to remain at home and age with dignity.​

 

In 2018 Oasis Senior Supportive Living Inc. partnered with researchers at Queen’s University, Western University and McMaster University to form the Oasis Research and Expansion Collaborative (Oasis Collaborative) to explore opportunities to expand and evaluate Oasis to other communities. Funding was received from the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation at Baycrest, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. Each grant was specifically designated to support the expansion to a particular Oasis community. As Oasis expanded, a network of communities formed to support the sustainability of all sites in partnership with the universities, building residents, and the onsite program coordinators.​

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In 2021, the Oasis Collaborative received generous funding from an anonymous philanthropic donor  to support the expansion of Oasis to 6 additional communities in Canada and support the original 6 expansion sites. Funding was also targeted to develop a sustainability plan to ensure the stability of these 12 communities; and to build a pan-Canadian network of older adults, community providers, researchers and decision-makers interested in working with naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) to support the healthy aging of Canadians.

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Funding was also received from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to conduct a rigorous longitudinal evaluation of Oasis from 2021-2025. The purpose of this evaluation is to understand Oasis’ influence on healthy aging, including mobility and social isolation. This work will provide critical insight into effective aspects of aging-in-place models to inform their design, and much-needed evidence on health and economic impacts to support their implementation.