Introduction

The vision that drives the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) and the Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging (LCMA) is a future in which interdisciplinary research supports and enables people of all ages to live longer, healthier lives. We embrace this vision and strive to advance and connect to it through all elements of operation, including through leadingedge research, education and stakeholder collaborations. Our values are cemented in integrity, excellence, collaboration, inclusion and transparency.

Through our approach to interdisciplinary research, the development of novel training programs, community and knowledge translation activities, our research outcomes have a real impact and influence on the well-being of older adults locally and globally. MIRA’s researchers, trainees, stakeholders, and partners share our vision, and are working hard to set the stage for the next generation of researchers in aging.

MIRA was formed in 2016 to address the complex issues that face our aging population through organized, interdisciplinary research that integrates older adults, their families, health-care providers and other key stakeholders. The input of multiple perspectives and complementary areas of expertise has ensured that our research is, from the outset, optimized to create useable, practical, older adult-centred solutions that promote aging in place.

The LCMA, MIRA’s first focused research centre, also launched in 2016 to facilitate and amplify research initiatives that mitigate the risk and consequences of declining mobility with age. Mobility is critical to healthy aging, and can affect social and economic independence, along with physical and mental health. By better understanding the range of issues associated with mobility in aging, we have the potential to optimize the well-being of Canadians while also reducing health and social costs. The LCMA, which was built on the groundwork of the Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative and the Labarge Foundation, fosters the same interdisciplinary research approach as MIRA.

Our 2020 Annual Report highlights current initiatives in aging research, education and community-based projects that support the health and well-being of older adults. It also outlines how our researchers and research pivoted to account for life during a global COVID-19 pandemic.

This work could not have been possible without the support of McMaster University and the generous donations of its former chancellor, Suzanne Labarge.