Calgary’s population is getting older. Seniors currently comprise 10% of Calgary’s population. This will increase to 20% by 2026. Unfortunately, most houses are designed for healthy young families. As a result, they are often ill-suited for the specific needs of older people and can be difficult, isolating, and even dangerous places for seniors to live. Many of these people end up having to move into dependent living facilities before it is medically necessary. Research indicates that 20-50% of older individuals currently waiting for beds could continue to live in the community if an appropriate independent housing option were available.

To meet this challenge, an interdisciplinary research team at the University of Calgary led by Professor John Brown is developing an innovative aging-in-place laneway housing option.

Accessible U is an initiative of Accessible Housing. It is an information hub created to help you find useful information about accessibility, especially in residential environments.  It is designed to inform and empower people, thereby contributing to a more accessible Alberta.

Accessible Housing is a non-profit organisation and registered charity, which helps open doors to homes that are both accessible and affordable for people with limited mobility, a growing population with unmet needs in the province of Alberta. Recognising a need in the community for increased mobility-restricted and cost-effective housing, the Accessible Housing Society undertook the development a 45-suite home known as Inclusio. Through the initial design, development and operation of Inclusio, Accessible Housing gained a great deal of knowledge about not only construction design and development but also additionally, how the services provided integrate in the most useful way for residents within the building design. Through a generous grant provided by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, Accessible Housing has been able to gather this learned information and share the story of Inclusio with many stakeholders.

Formerly the Legal Resource Centre. A series of brochures produced addressing numerous concerns of Alberta Seniors with regards to rental and home ownership. These include Life Leases, Renting out a Room in Your Home, Renting a Condominium, Reverse Mortgages.

The report offers valuable data and information on the need for seniors’ affordable housing in rural communities

Brochure advertising the programs offered by the Accessible Housing Society. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF office.

Various vignettes of experiences of developmentally challenged people in a variety of living situations. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF office.