Healthy & Safe Cities

Picture yourself in a home filled with warmth, laughter, and memories—a place where you've spent most of your life. As you age, your friends and family start asking you about your plans for your future. While care homes can be suitable for some individuals, you cherish your independence and wish to stay in your own home or community, a desire universally shared among Canadians. For seniors, the primary care options are highly regulated, government-funded, or privately owned long-term care facilities, which offer continuous medical supervision, or long-term care homes that provide professional care, safety, and social interaction but can be costly and reduce independence. 

An increasingly popular third option is aging in place, allowing older adults to live independently in their homes and communities. Despite its appeal, aging in place presents challenges like navigating a multi-story home with mobility issues and accessing essential services. To support aging in place, we must design safe, accessible home environments, considering the financial impacts of modifications and in-home care services. Ensuring local amenities are accessible and promoting social well-being are also crucial, as social isolation can increase health risks. Facilitating social activities and fostering community bonds can help older adults maintain safety, autonomy, and physical health, reducing the negative consequences of isolation.

• Look at specific home adaptations for aging in place according to the  Canadian Home Builders’ Association : non-slip flooring, grab bars, and shower seats in bathrooms reduce fall risks, pull-down shelves, wider doorways, and handrails aid accessibility, ramps or vertical lifts improve entry access, and adequate lighting and home monitoring systems enhance safety. How might you use this information to design an age-friendly home for older adults? Consider how to balance the functionality of these recommendations with affordability and aesthetics.   

• Consider how co-living, where older adults live together and assist one another, might be optimized to address social isolation and maintenance challenges, providing a better way for older adults to age in place.

• Create a checklist of specific needs for seniors who wish to age in place, considering criteria such as mobility issues, health conditions, and personal preferences. Use this checklist to design an age-friendly home environment, incorporating features like non-slip flooring, grab bars, and adequate lighting. How might you address individual needs and ensure the home remains safe and accessible for each senior?

 NORC Innovation Centre 

 The Village Movement 

 Blue Zones 

 Age Friendly Hamilton 

 Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home 

 Government of Canada: Thinking about Aging in Place 

In 2022, Hamilton police received 12,514 calls related to domestic or intimate partner violence, while  non-police violence against women (VAW) crisis support lines in the city received 7,660 calls . Recognizing the severity of the issue, the Hamilton City Council declared the city is facing an epidemic of intimate partner and domestic violence, joining with nearly 30 other Ontario municipalities. Domestic violence includes  physical harm, emotional belittling, psychological intimidation, sexual coercion, financial control, and stalking , all aimed at exerting power and control over the victim. Victims often face  several  barriers when seeking help such as stigmatization, discrimination, transportation issues, childcare responsibilities, isolation, confidentiality concerns in small communities, and financial difficulties.  

These barriers can prevent women from accessing the necessary services and support to escape abusive situations. For instance, many individuals are unaware of the services and resources available to them, including  hotlines, shelters, and legal assistance, which leaves them without a clear path to escape . Economic dependence on the abuser can trap people in abusive relationships, as they may lack the financial resources to support themselves and their children.

 Rural women experience intimate partner violence at a 75% higher rate than urban women.  Rural women face specific challenges and limited services, making them more vulnerable to violence. Contributing factors include isolation, lack of transportation, and slow emergency response times. There is also an increased amount of gun related violence in rural communities.

Shelter capacity in Hamilton is another critical issue, as almost every shelter is either at capacity or over capacity at any given time. This means that even if people are not turned away, shelters have to resort to using cots instead of beds and are often operating beyond their funded capacity.  The biggest barrier for those fleeing domestic violence is accessing a shelter, especially if their safety plan involves finding refuge in one . Additionally, individuals who have pets with them face further challenges, as shelters typically only allow registered service animals, which excludes many pets and emotional support animals. This highlights the urgent need for expanded shelter capacities and more inclusive policies that address the needs of all individuals fleeing domestic violence, ensuring that everyone can find safe refuge and support.

• In 2022,  4,498 women were turned away from women’s shelter due to overcrowding.   How might we increase capacity of shelters or create new solutions to ensure no person is turned away? 

•  Transportation and isolation significantly impact the ability of people to seek help . The fear of finding no space at a shelter and the daunting prospect of relocating to a different town without transportation can make it difficult to leave abusive situations. Developing a coordinated transportation network might be necessary. 

• Identifying gaps in the system is vital, including the socio-economic costs associated with individuals fleeing abuse and accessing support programs and shelters. These gaps often result in people returning to their abusers due to lack of space, transportation, and long waitlists. 

• Expand your analysis to include different domestic violence programs in Hamilton. Evaluate what is working versus what might need improvement, including agencies offering VAW counseling, outreach, and community programming. How can we assess the effectiveness of these programs and identify innovative solutions to enhance support for those fleeing domestic violence, possibly reducing reliance on shelter space?

 New York City: Family Justice Centres 

 Reach Out Speak Out 

 Safe Steps 

 Hamilton Health Sciences: Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Care Centre 

 Hamilton Police Service: Intimate Partner Violence 

 Community Resources for The City of Hamilton 

What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘self-care’? For some, it means prioritizing activities that enhance physical health, such as exercise and sleep. For others, it involves setting boundaries on screen time and social media to reduce digital stress. Self-care is defined as the ability to promote or maintain physical and mental health with or without the support of a healthcare professional. Its benefits include managing stress, lowering the risk of illness, increasing energy levels, reducing anxiety and depression, improving concentration, and boosting happiness. Despite these advantages, young adults often face barriers to practicing self-care, such as lack of time, financial constraints, digital distractions, and societal stigma.

Young adults frequently juggle academic responsibilities, work commitments, and social obligations, leaving little room for self-care.  The American Psychological Association found that 45% of young adults report not having enough time for self-care activities . Financial constraints can also make self-care seem like a luxury, with costs for gym memberships, healthy food, mental health services, and wellness products often being prohibitive. This constant juggling of responsibilities can lead to chronic stress, exacerbating the challenge of finding time for self-care and creating a cycle that worsens stress and mental health issues.

Digital distractions present another significant barrier. The pervasive use of smartphones, social media, and other digital technologies intrudes upon time that could be spent on self-care.  A Pew Research Center study found that 60% of teens and young adults feel compelled to respond immediately to notifications, impacting their sleep, exercise, and overall self-care . Excessive social media use is linked to higher anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality, creating a cycle of distraction and stress that diminishes focus on self-care and contributes to poorer mental health.

Stigma surrounding self-care, particularly mental health care, remains a significant barrier for many young adults. Fear of being judged or perceived as weak can lead individuals to avoid seeking necessary support.  According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), societal stigma discourages many from seeking help, with about 60% of adults with a mental illness receiving no mental health services in the previous year . This stigma and fear of negative consequences in personal and professional lives prevent young adults from practicing self-care and seeking the support they need. How might we help young adults in Hamilton practice self-care in a digital era?

• Explore how young adults can utilize common activities like exercise and supportive relationships, enhanced by digital tools and technology, to develop and personalize their self-care practices.
• Investigate how social media and technology can be integrated into self-care practices to help young adults achieve their goals and enhance mental well-being.
• Clarify the differences between self-care, self-management, and self-help, and develop strategies to help young adults choose the right approach for their needs, particularly using digital resources and online platforms.

• Elijah, a third-year biology student with a grueling course schedule and part-time job, feeling overwhelmed and stressed. To recharge, he watches Netflix and scrolls through social media for a few hours before bed. The next morning, he wakes up tired and groggy, questioning if his evening activities truly helped him relax.

• Samuel, who believes making time for self-care is counterproductive when he should be focusing on his many assignments.

• Sarah, who faces financial constraints that prevent her from engaging in self-care activities like going to the gym.

 Good Thinking 

 Mind Beacon 

 Smiling Mind 

 Children and Youth Mental Health in Canada 

 APA Self-care Resources 

 Teens, Social Media, and Technology 2023 

The MacChangers program is inspired by Hamilton's  "Our Future Hamilton"  vision, a 25-year plan developed in collaboration with 55,000 community members. This guide introduces community-informed challenges aligned with this vision, emphasizing the importance of lived experiences. It serves to inspire and guide projects that address community needs, align with UN Sustainable Development Goals, and comply with City regulations.

If you have any questions about this guide or the MacChangers Program, feel free to reach out to changers@mcmaster.ca

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